Big cat and Bear tale

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(11-22-2018, 12:12 PM)Olga.bohai Wrote: Hello to all wildlife lovers!

I have new interesting info for you. Yesterday I had a dinner with the scientists from Leopard Land National Park and asked them a question about tigers and bears. And I was very surprised that they agree with my assumption that tigers expelled brown bears. There is no official confirmation because for nowadays we have not much records about animals population in our territory, people came here only 100 years ago, the reserves were launched in the middle of XX century, they started to use camera traps in 2010s and nobody can tell us how many tigers and bears were here before. The main reason why there are more black bears than brown bears that black bears can climb trees and save theirselves from tigers who can’t climb the trees because of their weight. Brown bears can’t climb the trees on the same reason. Tigers kill a lot of brown bears cubs, that’s why their population is much less than in Kamchatka and other Russian regions. That’s what our scientists say. Hope this information will be interesting for you.
P.S. I am now with tourists in Amur Leopards watching tour, they are waiting in the hide in taiga for the leopard comes out for his bait. We’ve already got records on camera traps that he came thrice for one night, I will send it later on the forum when I come back home with good internet access.

I noticed that posting only now and that was really interesting information. Also explanation makes sense. That is one thing what has crossed in my thoughts, that could tigers have that kind of impact to bear behavior. Even though male bears can roam there safely, mother bears are in different situation especially with cubs. That for sure would explain at least partially, that less brown bears than before. Females and cubs going further from areas with high tiger density and leaving then adult males to roam in larger areas searching food, but naturally in mating times have to go where females are.

It would be interesting to hear a little bit more some day and are my thoughts even close to that, what these scientists are thinking :) I think, that it is a little bit different situation when comparing to wolves. Wolves are forced to go away as packs leaving behind next to nothing of them. Brown bears then again are in different situation when females and cubs are vulnerable to tiger attacks and then again males in that size, that not anymore able to climb... well, they are then already pretty much that big, that no need to climb, they don´t have anymore any reason to feel threatened. So it sounds like partial expelling.

Anyway what you told is very interesting and theory which has logic and sense. Reply