Russian Brown Bears

[brotherbear]

There are years when the berries and nuts crop is very poor or totally absent. This is when the so-called shatun bears appear. These are bears which could not become fat during the summer, who wander in winter and rarely survive until spring. Usually they are killed by hunters or they die of starvation. Such shatuns are very dangerous, because they attack everything that might become food, including humans, and they are very bold. Sometimes, hunger forces them to go where people live, and they are killed. Besides, some bears that are driven out of their dens do not return, and become shatuns. If promyshlenniks do not kill these bears, wolves will. Wolf packs easily kill such bears, especially when the winter is harsh and the snow covers the entire taiga; then the exhausted bears cannot attack or even defend themselves. Promyshlenniks tell stories about such mad bears coming to the huts of squirrel hunters, herdsmen, and the yurts of nomadic native people. Even a bonfire at night does not stop such a wanderer in the cold season. They say that the bear coming to the camp frightens people, but is afraid to make a direct attack. First, he runs to a river, lake or swamp and enters the water, and then he runs to the bonfire and extinguishes it by shaking his wet hair! This gives the people enough time to run away, leaving everything to the bear, or to prepare to defend themselves and kill it. I believe this, because I saw myself how bold and aggressive they can be. There are so many anecdotes and tall tales told about bears that it becomes hard to believe even a true story. Nevertheless, I should repeat that the audacity of shatuns is remarkable. Reply