ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

'AMUR TIGER IS LOOKING FOR A BLACK BEAR WHILE A LARGE MALE BROWN BEAR FOLLOWS THIS TRACKS' 

In this short (2:03) video (credits Sergej Kolchin), you can see a male Amur tiger trying to find a hibernating Himalayan black bear in the 2019-2020 winter. Himalayan black bears often select hollows in large trees to hibernate. Amur tigers know and, for this reason, often check large trees in winter. According to the liner notes, the male tiger in the video found, and killed, a young Himalayan black bear hibernating in this tree about a year ago. The tiger obviously remembered the tree where he found the young black bear.

The male Ussuri brown bear was following the tiger. It's likely he knew (male) Amur tigers often try to find hibernating Himalayan black bears in winter. Following a male tiger might produce a dead Himalayan black bear or, more likely (recent research strongly suggests male Ussuri brown bears only very seldom displace male Amur tigers from their kills), the remains left by the tiger. Expressed in time (referring to the liner notes), the distance between the male tiger and the male brown bear following him was about a day.    

The brown bear, by the way, wasn't hibernating, because the crop harvest had been poor in 2019. As a result of a lack of fat, the Ussuri male brown bear was forced to continue to search for food in winter. Meaning he was a 'Schatun'. Not every 'Schatun' is a desperate animal trying to find food at all costs, but chances are every desperate brown bear in winter is a 'Schatun'.    

At the end of the video (01:29-2:01), which was uploaded by 'BiL' a few hours ago, you can see both animals (the male tiger and the male brown bear) side by side. They seem to compare in head and body length, but the male brown bear is a bit taller, more robust and, therefore, significantly heavier:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2HxgT3vFCA

For those interested: the one who uploaded the video ('BiL'), posted a lot of interesting videos about (interactions between wild) Amur tigers, Himalayan black bears and Ussuri brown bears. Reply

[peter]

'BROWN BEAR INJURED BY TIGRESS'S CLAW WHILE TAKING AWAY HER PREY'

A - About an encounter between an Amur tigress and a brown bear family somewhere in the Khabarovsky Krai 

Some time ago, on another site, there was a brief discussion about an encounter between a brown bear family (an adult female and 3 cubs) and a young Amur tigress. Because of a lack of reliable information, I didn't follow the proceedings. 

A few days ago, I saw a short video uploaded by 'BiL'. After reading the liner notes, I concluded the video most probably showed the main characters of the story I referred to above. This means there really was an encounter between a brown bear family and a tigress somewhere in the Khabarovskiy Krai in the summer of 2024. 

The encounter wasn't captured on camera, but Alexey Gotvansky, the same Gotvansky I referred to in a few older posts (this thread), got wind of it, or heard about it. He decided to place a camera near what could have been the start of the encounter: a young elk allegedly killed by a young tigress. The result was a number of shortish videos. The video discussed in this post seems to be a compilation of different videos. 

B - The video

The short (0:59) video consists of three parts. The first, and longest part, was filmed on June 10, 2024. It shows a female brown bear and her three quite grown cubs. My guess is they were in their second (or third) year. The four brown bears approach what seems to be a cache at 04:49 pm and leave at 04:57 pm. It isn't clear why they leave after 8 minutes only, but judging from the way they behave, they might have been startled by another animal. They seem anxious and leave in a hurry.

A day later, on June 11 2024, the same family was captured by the same camera near the same cache at 09:13 am. This part mainly shows the female brown bear. Or, to be more precise, her nose. It shows a partially healed quite deep hole and a scratch running from the hole to the upper part of her mouth. 

The third and last part of the video was filmed on June 16. It shows a youngish Amur tigress at 05:45 pm. The tigress, quite tall, long and lithe, doesn't seem to fit the surroundings. The reason is the colour of her coat. Her orange is very bright and disagrees with the colours near the cache. One wonders how an animal with such colours is able to approach, let alone kill, other animals in a spring forest loaded with quite dull greenish and brownish colours. The tigress too seems to be quite wary. After sniffing the air for information, she approaches the pitiful remains of what, according to Alexey Gotvansky, was a young elk she killed about a week ago. She lifts the skin and a few bones and leaves.         

C - Liner notes 

Credits: Zapovednoye Priamurye (Reserved Amur Region)/Alexey Gotvansky.    

" ... The body of a young elk was found near the highway. However, there was no killer, only a family of bears who dragged the deer 20 meters away and fed on it. Alexey Gotvansky suggests that there was a skirmish between the animals, as evidenced by the tigress's prey, taken by the bears, and a fresh wound on the bear's muzzle. Based on the tracks, it was possible to establish that that it was either a young male or a female tiger. Later, when the tiger was caught on camera, these guesses were confirmed: it was a young female.

After some time, probably smelling fresh meat, the clubfoot came and interrupted the tiger's meal. Judging by the footage from the camera, a fight even broke out between the animals. One of the mother bears recorded on the video has a fresh deep mark from a claw on her nose. The tiger probably tried to defend it's prey, however, the forces were unequal ... " - notes Gotvansky. 

The liner notes speak for themselves. 

There's one sentence that is a bit confusing. I'm referring to the sentence that starts with 'One of the mother bears' (in the second part of the quote). It suggests the cache was visited by two (different) bear families. The second part of the video, however, shows the same bear family as in the first part. Meaning there was one bear family only. I assume that part of the sentence was the result of a mistake. It could be 'BiL' was trying to say 'One of the bears' or 'The mother bear recorded on the video'. Most unfortunately, he seemed to have combined both sentences. The result is a bit of (unintended) confusion. All clear?    

D - Interpretation of the video  

In early June 2024, a local or an employee of the Zapovednoye Priamursky found the body of a young elk near a highway. Maybe Gotvansky found the body himself. Anyhow. When he found the body, or, more likely, the cache, he decided to install a camera. In the period between June 10 and June 16, both the brown bear family and the young tigress were captured on film. A combination of the footage was used to produce the video that was uploaded by 'BiL'.

When he inspected the cache, Gotvansky saw prints of the members of the bear family and what could have been a young male tiger or a tigress. The video confirmed it was a (young) tigress. The question was what had happened. Combining his experience, knowledge and the information at hand, Gotvansky concluded the young elk had been killed by the tigress. Although it can't be completely excluded the bear family witnessed the kill, it's much more likely their great nose informed them about an incident involving a tiger and an elk not too far away. Meaning diner was being served. 

Rumour has it bears are quite, ehhh, food-orientated. Meaning a (tiger) kill will attract any bear within nose distance. That, of course, doesn't mean a bear will try to displace an adult tiger on his or her kill. Recent research, in fact, strongly suggests even large bears only seldom displace tigresses. It is, on the other hand, also well known most fights between bears and tigers in the Russian Far East happened near kill sites. I'm referring to tiger kills. Yet another example of two conclusions opposing each other. How solve? My proposal is to assume bears of all ages and sizes, research or no research, are prepared to approach a tiger kill no matter what. Read Tkatchenko's study to find out a bit more. 

Tigers are elusive animals. They don't like to be seen and distinsguish between individuals and a crowd. A bear family is a crowd. Meaning chances are a tiger will leave when faced with multiple scavengers. The young tigress, judging from the scratch on the nose of the female brown bear, didn't take it lying down, but there most probably never was a lengthy dispute. The hole (one, not two) on her muzzle strongly suggests the female brown bear was slapped, but that was about it. Judging from what I saw in encounters between captive predators of different species, the nose very often is a favorite target in a 'slap-out'. A big cat only very seldom uses his teeth in a first encounter. My guess is it wasn't very different in the discussion between the young tigress and the female brown bear. The tigress showed her displeasure and left. But, judging from the last part fo the video, not quite.    

That, however, doesn't mean the scratch was just a scratch. Large predators do not seem to feel pain in a fight, but they do appreciate the ability of their opponent to cause damage. Not on the day of the encounter, but later. In this sense, even a 'slap-out' has meaning. And that is the meaning of a brief discussion most of the time. In captive predators. But my guess is it isn't very different in their wild relatives. If anything, they're more careful. The reason is they can't afford a serious injury. A serious fight very often is the result of a serious problem. And a serious problem usually has a history. Meaning it started well before the encounter.  

A wild tiger will engage a scavenger interested in his kill, but not at all costs. A tiger only is prepared to go all the way when a pattern develops that threatens it's livelyhood. Patterns of this type are seen in different regions. In order to get rid of the pack following them all the time, male pumas in some regions kill twice on a hunt: one animal for the wolves and one animal for himself. Hyenas have displaced lions in some regions. The wars between them at times resulted in the collapse of a pride. Leopards lose kills to lions, tigers and wild dogs. There are cases of Amur tigresses with cubs that have been followed and 'extorded' by large male brown bears, meaning they were more or less forced to kill twice for the same reason male pumas felt forced to kill twice. 

A tiger is different from other big cats in that it doesn't face a pack of scavengers. Tigers, and Amur tigers in particular, are sometimes followed and robbed by large bears. I'm not only referring to tigresses with cubs, but also to young adult males and old tigers. There's not a lot known about males followed and robbed by large bears, but I don't doubt it happens. Members of animal forums, when discussing these scenarios, often select large males of both species, but chances are these 'satellite bears' target vulnarable animals walking the edge. Some male tigers no doubt are seriously injured or killed if they confront a large male brown bear. Kostoglod said vulnarable male tigers killed by satellite bears didn't get the opportunity to develop into cattlelifters or man-eaters. He has a point, but my guess is incidents of this nature are few. Too few to have an impact on the behaviour of male tigers facing hardship. 

Same for serious encounters between healthy males of both species. Makes sense, because a tiger in particular needs to be fit enough to hunt. And yet. There's reliable information about male tigers deliberately confronting male brown bears of similar size. In his great book 'The Tiger', Vaillant said fights of this nature could be about principle. It doesn't fit the pattern described above (referring to other big cat species facing packs of scavengers) and then it does in that the tiger also faces competition. Not from packs, but from large bears. The competition, I think, ultimately is about food and livelyhood. Existence. If a tiger accepts some of his kills will be appropiated by a large bear, chances are a pattern will develop over time. A pattern that can have serious consequences. If a male tiger wants to prevent them, discussions with those interested in his kills can't be avoided. 

Is the situation different for tigresses? Not really. They too face competition from bears and they too have to learn to deal with bears. In this respect, it's do or die. The difference between tigers and other big cats is tigers are solitary animals. They either develop or perish. In a way, one could say all adult tigers, males and females, are survivors. True apex predators. Members of animal forums often focus on size. Only few are interested in the mental development of large predators and the difference in this respect between different species. Not seldom, the results are misinterpretations and incorrect conclusions. Behaviour, however, not only is an expression of character (personality). It also depends on the conditions. 

Returning to the video.     

Am I close regarding my remark about the real meaning of a 'scratch only'? Watch the video closely and do it again. Pay attention to the behaviour of the bears. There are many small signs expressing their mood. Are you able to distinguish between anxiety, anger, confidence and fear? Pay attention to the second part of the video, when you see a close-up of the female brown bear. It seems to be about her nose, but is it? What do you see and feel? The bears are wary when they approach the cache. They don't seem to feel any different when they leave. The tigress is wary as well, but she's also angry. It's experiences of this nature that affect the attitude of young adult Amur tigers. 

You can also see, and feel, it in captive animals. Tigers, and Amur tigers in particular, don't like brown bears and brown bears know. This conclusion isn't a result of an opinion, but a result of a lot of observations and quite a few interviews with keepers and trainers. I don't doubt there are many exceptions to this rule, but based on what I saw, heard and read, I'd say there's no love lost between these two and it starts at an early age. There there are many examples of young Amur tigers defending their kill against bears. The young male tiger known as 'Putin's tiger' isn't the only example.   

Was Gotvansky, regarding his conclusion, close? Based on the video and the additional information in the liner notes, my guess is he was. I've read a lot of reports he wrote after he returned from trips that often lasted for days. In my opinion, he's an able and very reliable observer loaded with experience and knowledge.       

E - Link to the video

Here's the link to the video. If you're interested, watch it more than once on different days. Make notes and when you're finished try to find people who invested time in animals, their emotions and their behaviour. You can also find books written by those who know a few things about the behaviour of (captive and wild) animals. One of them is 'Weisse Löwen müssen sterben - Spielregeln der Macht im Tierreich' (Dröscher, VB, Rasch und Röhring Verlag, Hamburg, 1989), but there are many others. Dröscher, by the way, studied zoology and psychology.        

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgnP5-JlnuA Reply

[Apex Titan]

(01-13-2025, 05:06 AM)peter Wrote: 'BROWN BEAR INJURED BY TIGRESS'S CLAW WHILE TAKING AWAY HER PREY'

A - About an encounter between an Amur tigress and a brown bear family somewhere in the Khabarovsky Krai 

Some time ago, on another site, there was a brief discussion about an encounter between a brown bear family (an adult female and 3 cubs) and a young Amur tigress. Because of a lack of reliable information, I didn't follow the proceedings. 

A few days ago, I saw a short video uploaded by 'BiL'. After reading the liner notes, I concluded the video most probably showed the main characters of the story I referred to above. This means there really was an encounter between a brown bear family and a tigress somewhere in the Khabarovskiy Krai in the summer of 2024. 

The encounter wasn't captured on camera, but Alexey Gotvansky, the same Gotvansky I referred to in a few older posts (this thread), got wind of it, or heard about it. He decided to place a camera near what could have been the start of the encounter: a young elk allegedly killed by a young tigress. The result was a number of shortish videos. The video discussed in this post seems to be a compilation of different videos. 

B - The video

The short (0:59) video consists of three parts. The first, and longest part, was filmed on June 10, 2024. It shows a female brown bear and her three quite grown cubs. My guess is they were in their second (or third) year. The four brown bears approach what seems to be a cache at 04:49 pm and leave at 04:57 pm. It isn't clear why they leave after 8 minutes only, but judging from the way they behave, they might have been startled by another animal. They seem anxious and leave in a hurry.

A day later, on June 11 2024, the same family was captured by the same camera near the same cache at 09:13 am. This part mainly shows the female brown bear. Or, to be more precise, her nose. It shows a partially healed quite deep hole and a scratch running from the hole to the upper part of her mouth. 

The third and last part of the video was filmed on June 16. It shows a youngish Amur tigress at 05:45 pm. The tigress, quite tall, long and lithe, doesn't seem to fit the surroundings. The reason is the colour of her coat. Her orange is very bright and disagrees with the colours near the cache. One wonders how an animal with such colours is able to approach, let alone kill, other animals in a spring forest loaded with quite dull greenish and brownish colours. The tigress too seems to be quite wary. After sniffing the air for information, she approaches the pitiful remains of what, according to Alexey Gotvansky, was a young elk she killed about a week ago. She lifts the skin and a few bones and leaves.         

C - Liner notes 

Credits: Zapovednoye Priamurye (Reserved Amur Region)/Alexey Gotvansky.    

" ... The body of a young elk was found near the highway. However, there was no killer, only a family of bears who dragged the deer 20 meters away and fed on it. Alexey Gotvansky suggests that there was a skirmish between the animals, as evidenced by the tigress's prey, taken by the bears, and a fresh wound on the bear's muzzle. Based on the tracks, it was possible to establish that that it was either a young male or a female tiger. Later, when the tiger was caught on camera, these guesses were confirmed: it was a young female.

After some time, probably smelling fresh meat, the clubfoot came and interrupted the tiger's meal. Judging by the footage from the camera, a fight even broke out between the animals. One of the mother bears recorded on the video has a fresh deep mark from a claw on her nose. The tiger probably tried to defend it's prey, however, the forces were unequal ... " - notes Gotvansky. 

The liner notes speak for themselves. 

There's one sentence that is a bit confusing. I'm referring to the sentence that starts with 'One of the mother bears' (in the second part of the quote). It suggests the cache was visited by two (different) bear families. The second part of the video, however, shows the same bear family as in the first part. Meaning there was one bear family only. I assume that part of the sentence was the result of a mistake. It could be 'BiL' was trying to say 'One of the bears' or 'The mother bear recorded on the video'. Most unfortunately, he seemed to have combined both sentences. The result is a bit of (unintended) confusion. All clear?    

D - Interpretation of the video  

In early June 2024, a local or an employee of the Zapovednoye Priamursky found the body of a young elk near a highway. Maybe Gotvansky found the body himself. Anyhow. When he found the body, or, more likely, the cache, he decided to install a camera. In the period between June 10 and June 16, both the brown bear family and the young tigress were captured on film. A combination of the footage was used to produce the video that was uploaded by 'BiL'.

When he inspected the cache, Gotvansky saw prints of the members of the bear family and what could have been a young male tiger or a tigress. The video confirmed it was a (young) tigress. The question was what had happened. Combining his experience, knowledge and the information at hand, Gotvansky concluded the young elk had been killed by the tigress. Although it can't be completely excluded the bear family witnessed the kill, it's much more likely their great nose informed them about an incident involving a tiger and an elk not too far away. Meaning diner was being served. 

Rumour has it bears are quite, ehhh, food-orientated. Meaning a (tiger) kill will attract any bear within nose distance. That, of course, doesn't mean a bear will try to displace an adult tiger on his or her kill. Recent research, in fact, strongly suggests even large bears only seldom displace tigresses. It is, on the other hand, also well known most fights between bears and tigers in the Russian Far East happened near kill sites. I'm referring to tiger kills. Yet another example of two conclusions opposing each other. How solve? My proposal is to assume bears of all ages and sizes, research or no research, are prepared to approach a tiger kill no matter what. Read Tkatchenko's study to find out a bit more. 

Tigers are elusive animals. They don't like to be seen and distinsguish between individuals and a crowd. A bear family is a crowd. Meaning chances are a tiger will leave when faced with multiple scavengers. The young tigress, judging from the scratch on the nose of the female brown bear, didn't take it lying down, but there most probably never was a lengthy dispute. The hole (one, not two) on her muzzle strongly suggests the female brown bear was slapped, but that was about it. Judging from what I saw in encounters between captive predators of different species, the nose very often is a favorite target in a 'slap-out'. A big cat only very seldom uses his teeth in a first encounter. My guess is it wasn't very different in the discussion between the young tigress and the female brown bear. The tigress showed her displeasure and left. But, judging from the last part fo the video, not quite.    

That, however, doesn't mean the scratch was just a scratch. Large predators do not seem to feel pain in a fight, but they do appreciate the ability of their opponent to cause damage. Not on the day of the encounter, but later. In this sense, even a 'slap-out' has meaning. And that is the meaning of a brief discussion most of the time. In captive predators. But my guess is it isn't very different in their wild relatives. If anything, they're more careful. The reason is they can't afford a serious injury. A serious fight very often is the result of a serious problem. And a serious problem usually has a history. Meaning it started well before the encounter.  

A wild tiger will engage a scavenger interested in his kill, but not at all costs. A tiger only is prepared to go all the way when a pattern develops that threatens it's livelyhood. Patterns of this type are seen in different regions. In order to get rid of the pack following them all the time, male pumas in some regions kill twice on a hunt: one animal for the wolves and one animal for himself. Hyenas have displaced lions in some regions. The wars between them at times resulted in the collapse of a pride. Leopards lose kills to lions, tigers and wild dogs. There are cases of Amur tigresses with cubs that have been followed and 'extorded' by large male brown bears, meaning they were more or less forced to kill twice for the same reason male pumas felt forced to kill twice. 

A tiger is different from other big cats in that it doesn't face a pack of scavengers. Tigers, and Amur tigers in particular, are sometimes followed and robbed by large bears. I'm not only referring to tigresses with cubs, but also to young adult males and old tigers. There's not a lot known about males followed and robbed by large bears, but I don't doubt it happens. Members of animal forums, when discussing these scenarios, often select large males of both species, but chances are these 'satellite bears' target vulnarable animals walking the edge. Some male tigers no doubt are seriously injured or killed if they confront a large male brown bear. Kostoglod said vulnarable male tigers killed by satellite bears didn't get the opportunity to develop into cattlelifters or man-eaters. He has a point, but my guess is incidents of this nature are few. Too few to have an impact on the behaviour of male tigers facing hardship. 

Same for serious encounters between healthy males of both species. Makes sense, because a tiger in particular needs to be fit enough to hunt. And yet. There's reliable information about male tigers deliberately confronting male brown bears of similar size. In his great book 'The Tiger', Vaillant said fights of this nature could be about principle. It doesn't fit the pattern described above (referring to other big cat species facing packs of scavengers) and then it does in that the tiger also faces competition. Not from packs, but from large bears. The competition, I think, ultimately is about food and livelyhood. Existence. If a tiger accepts some of his kills will be appropiated by a large bear, chances are a pattern will develop over time. A pattern that can have serious consequences. If a male tiger wants to prevent them, discussions with those interested in his kills can't be avoided. 

Is the situation different for tigresses? Not really. They too face competition from bears and they too have to learn to deal with bears. In this respect, it's do or die. The difference between tigers and other big cats is tigers are solitary animals. They either develop or perish. In a way, one could say all adult tigers, males and females, are survivors. True apex predators. Members of animal forums often focus on size. Only few are interested in the mental development of large predators and the difference in this respect between different species. Not seldom, the results are misinterpretations and incorrect conclusions. Behaviour, however, not only is an expression of character (personality). It also depends on the conditions. 

Returning to the video.     

Am I close regarding my remark about the real meaning of a 'scratch only'? Watch the video closely and do it again. Pay attention to the behaviour of the bears. There are many small signs expressing their mood. Are you able to distinguish between anxiety, anger, confidence and fear? Pay attention to the second part of the video, when you see a close-up of the female brown bear. It seems to be about her nose, but is it? What do you see and feel? The bears are wary when they approach the cache. They don't seem to feel any different when they leave. The tigress is wary as well, but she's also angry. It's experiences of this nature that affect the attitude of young adult Amur tigers. 

You can also see, and feel, it in captive animals. Tigers, and Amur tigers in particular, don't like brown bears and brown bears know. This conclusion isn't a result of an opinion, but a result of a lot of observations and quite a few interviews with keepers and trainers. I don't doubt there are many exceptions to this rule, but based on what I saw, heard and read, I'd say there's no love lost between these two and it starts at an early age. There there are many examples of young Amur tigers defending their kill against bears. The young male tiger known as 'Putin's tiger' isn't the only example.   

Was Gotvansky, regarding his conclusion, close? Based on the video and the additional information in the liner notes, my guess is he was. I've read a lot of reports he wrote after he returned from trips that often lasted for days. In my opinion, he's an able and very reliable observer loaded with experience and knowledge.       

E - Link to the video

Here's the link to the video. If you're interested, watch it more than once on different days. Make notes and when you're finished try to find people who invested time in animals, their emotions and their behaviour. You can also find books written by those who know a few things about the behaviour of (captive and wild) animals. One of them is 'Weisse Löwen müssen sterben - Spielregeln der Macht im Tierreich' (Dröscher, VB, Rasch und Röhring Verlag, Hamburg, 1989), but there are many others. Dröscher, by the way, studied zoology and psychology.        

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgnP5-JlnuA

I think this case is once again a good example of the difference in weaponry between tigers and brown bears.

This was a fight between a young tigress and an adult female brown bear, and yet the young tigress was able to inflict such damage to the brown bear's face, while not getting injured in the fight. It was most likely a short tussle, however, as in most cases, its the tiger who inflicts the damage, not vice versa. This is very telling.

If the young tigress did just slap the brown bear's face, as you assume, then it shows the damage a young tigress can do to an adult brown bear with a single swipe to the face. And highlights the deadly and superior weaponry of the tiger.

I've read numerous accounts of both short and prolonged fights between tigers and bears, in which the bears were either killed, or severely mauled and injured, while the tigers were totally unharmed. In one case, a large male sloth bear was mauled and injured so badly in a fight by a tiger, that the villagers shot the bear to put it out of its misery. The bear was just gonna die a slow and very painful death. Was the tiger injured after the fight? No, he was totally fine.

Odyr had a long, serious fight against a larger adult male brown bear, and yet, only received minor damage to one of his front paws, and was fine afterwards. Whereas the big male bear was killed and eaten. The male tiger Dima killed a large brown bear sow of similar size in a prolonged, intense fight, and yet was not injured after the battle. Another male tiger in August 2001, killed a large female brown bear (150 - 200 kg) in a prolonged serious fight, and only received a minor wound. Corbett reported a fight between a really huge (biggest Himalayan bear he had ever seen) male Himalayan black bear (most likely well over 200 kg) and a male tiger, in which the huge bear was severely mauled, it was scalped right to the bone and its nose torn in half. And despite the exceptional size of the bear, the tiger wasn't injured at all from the fight.

These are just few of many other cases I've read. As Vaillant notes in his book, a bear's claws are designed for digging and traction, they're blunt and not specialized killing weapons. A tiger's claws are much more lethal and solely designed for fighting, mauling and killing, and are needle sharp, which can quickly and efficiently disembowel and tear an animal apart. This is why tigers are able to single-handedly attack and maul even adult elephants and rhinos to death.

Although bears are predatory animals to a certain extent, they lack the deadly weaponry of a pure specialized predator like big cats. And of course, there's absolutely no comparison in canine size, as even tigresses and young tigers have canines that dwarf the canine size of even the largest brown bears. Bears also have blunter canines than big cats, whereas the tiger also has the largest canines of all the worlds extant terrestrial predators.

All in all, big cats possess much more lethal and effective weaponry for fighting and killing than bears do. And this has been demonstrated many times in fights between tigers and bears of various subspecies, and also explains why there's not a single documented case in history, of a bear ever killing a similar sized big cat, especially a tiger in a fight. In all cases, the tiger always killed and ate the bears. Reply

[peter]

CONFLICTS BETWEEN TIGER AND MAN IN NORTHEAST ASIA - 1 - PRESENT SITUATION

a - Introduction

In 1992, the Siberian Tiger Project (STP) was launched. It was a joint effort of Russian and American biologists to remove the veil covering the famous, but largely unknown, Siberian tiger. The first aim of the project was to study this elusive big cat and inform the general public about the results. The second, and most important, aim was to save it from extinction. In order to get there, reliable information was needed. 

Back then, in the nineties of the previous century, the number of tigers living in that part of the Russian Federation was limited. Nearly all tigers lived in the Maritime Province, Primorye. Over the years, many reports were published. In order to create more room for the tiger, new national parks and reserves were created. After some years, China was involved in the project. It's not clear if they breed in North Korea, but there's overwhelming evidence tigers now visit the most northern districts of this country. 

Anti-poaching teams were created. Tigers were counted. Articles about tigers appeared in local newspapers. Some years later, articles about the Siberian tiger, now known as the Amur tiger, were published in well-known newspapers and magazins all over the world. Children in the Russian Far East were educated. A Tiger Day was created. Documentaries appeared. A few at first, but more followed in the first decades of this century. At the Tiger Meetings, countries that still had tigers pledged to double the number of tigers. In order to reach that goal, political support was needed. The main supporter of the effort to save the Amur tiger from extinction was, and still is, President Putin of the Russian Federation. The Russians started their own project ('The Amur Tiger Programme') in 2008.     

As a result of the effort to save the tiger, the population started to increase. There's not much information about the situation in Sumatra and southeast Asia, but in India the population nearly doubled between 2010-2024. In Bhutan and Nepal, the population also increased in that period. Same for China. The Russian Federation, however, topped the list. In 2022, biologists estimated there were at least 750 tigers in the Russian Far East. This, mind you, is without North Korea and China. Today, there could be close to a thousand tigers in these countries.    

b - The results of more tigers 

Tigers are territorial, meaning they have a home range they only seldom leave. An adult male needs about 30-40 large (100 kg or more) prey animals a year. In most of southern and southeastern Asia, tigers live in, or close to, protected reserves. Most of these reserves (referring to India and Nepal in particular) are well-stocked, meaning an adult male tiger needs 40-80 square km to survive. If the population increases, youngsters in these reserves often have no other option but to move to the fringes. More often than not, these reseerves are surrounded by villages. Not a few villagers graze their animals in the reserve. They also use the reserve to collect firewoord. The result is confrontations with big cats. In Nepal and India, dozens of villagers are killed every year.  

The Russian Far East is very different from India and Nepal. Although the number of reserves and national parks is smaller, they're usually larger. Furthermore, in most cases, they're not surrounded by villages, but forest. If we add the human population in the Russian Far East is small, and, if anything, decreasing, chances are there should be enough room for both in the forest. In 'normal' conditions, this assumption is confirmed in that the number of conflicts is very limited. But life always is a bit different from assumptions and statistics. In 'normal' conditions, tigers are able to find enough food in the forest. The forests in the Russian Far East, preyanimalwise, are not as rich as those in southern Asia, but tigers adapted in that their territories are larger. Energy deficits, for that reason, are uncommon. But it's a close call at the best of times. In the Russian Far East, as a result of the conditions (also referring to the long and harsh winters), most hunters have a solitary lifestyle. 

But what if the conditions change? Not for a season, but for a more extended period of time? And what if the conditions change permanently because of a number of fateful decisions? 

A forest is a very complex and vulnarable system. Compared to a plain or a savannah, it's poor even at the best of times. This is the reason even pristine forests are relatively empty. Densities are low and competition between predators in particular is intense. The forest in the Russian Far East is a bit different, because it's situated on a crossroads. In that region, the arctic, the tropics and the sea meet. This is the reason weather changes not seldom are abrupt and quite violent. Winters are long and harsh as a rule, but climate change is everywhere and it's, no matter what politicians say, very real. That's still apart from crop failures (not uncommon), diseases that decimate numerous species (not uncommon), roads (common), logging (common), hunting (common), poaching (common) and less budget for anti-poaching teams and research (not uncommon). If we add wars (common), a sudden increase of the number of large apex predators as a result of a (political) decision, chances are problems will erupt sooner or later. 

It starts, I think, with the forest. A true forest is a more or less uninterrupted collection of trees. Trees are living organisms, meaning they respond to the conditions. Only mature (adult) trees will produce crops. If they're removed, it will affect the production of crops. Less forest products means animals depending on them have no option but to find greener pastures. Meaning those hunting them need more time and energy to find them, also meaning adult large predators need larger territories. A century ago, mass migrations of tigers were not uncommon. If tigers are unable to migrate or adapt in another way, the most likely result could be energy deficits. In a region well known for long and harsh winters, it might tip the balance. Just enough to create starvation. Alternatives are few. One option is to follow migrating herds of prey animals. Still happens today (referring to recent reports of Alexej Gotvansky from the reserves and national parks in the Chabarowsky Krai). Tigers can also decide to enter villages in order to hunt domestic animals. When a large predator able to kill a human enters a village to hunt dogs, cows or horses, chances are humans will be targeted sooner or later. This is how man-eaters are made. Jim Corbett maintained man-eaters do not educate their cubs in this department, but there's enough evidence to conclude this is not always the case.                                  

I'm not suggesting the balance in the Russian Far East is collapsing, but it's clear the increasing number of tigers, as a result of opening up the forest, new roads, logging, crop failures, poaching and desperation (hunger), has resulted in problems in a number of districts. Although tigers entering villages target dogs in particular, chances are some individuals will lost their fear of humans. In the last decade, the number of attacks on humans has increased. People have been deliberately hunted and eaten. The result is fear and a loss of support for those trying to protect the tiger.     

c - Video

In the last years, I saw a number of videos about the problems discussed in this post. The video in this post ('Amur tigers terrorize villages in the Far East. Who's to blame?'), although quite long (35:55), is interesting. It was oploaded about a year ago by 'Spectrum' (translated from Russian): 
    
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ4r_no8_y8&t=16s

In the next posts, more videos will be uploaded. If interested, my advice is to make a few notes. Don't wait too long, because most videos I saw were removed within a year. 

d - Future posts

The aim of this series is to discuss the relationship between tigers and humans in the Russian Far East, Manchuria, northeastern China and Korea in the last century. In order to get there, I'll post a number of articles and pages of books written by those who hunted in these regions. Reply

[Apex Titan]

Biologist Dr. Feng Limin on Amur tigers and Bears 

Here's a video with a recent interview of Northeast China's leading tiger expert, researcher, and field biologist, Dr. Feng Limin.

Feng Limin says that according to their analysis, data, and findings, bears (both Ussuri brown bears & Asiatic black bears) make-up 10% of the tigers diet throughout the year. Through DNA data analysis of tiger feces, biologists found that bears make-up a large portion of the tigers diet in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. They found that the main food of tigers, in addition to large and medium-sized herbivores such as wild boars and sika deer, is actually large carnivores such as bears.

Here's the report:

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1823004...5%E7%86%8A

It's also mentioned that cases of Amur tigers killing and eating both leopards and bears are constantly being recorded. Feng Limin also mentions that in the past, their infrared cameras have recorded shots of tigers chasing bears.

Due to their recent observations, data, and findings over the years, biologist Feng Limin and his team now have a more in-depth understanding and knowledge about the relationships between Amur tigers, leopards, and bears in this ecosystem.

Go to 0:55 in the video:

Just like in the Russian Far East, in Northeast China, the Amur tiger is the undisputed apex predator and dominates the other carnivores (bears, leopards, wolves) that share its habitat, and also regularly hunts and eats both black and brown bears, and kills and eats leopards whenever the opportunity arises.

Bears making up 10% of the Amur tigers annual diet in Northeast China is a significant percentage, considering the fact that both Ussuri brown bears and Asiatic black bears hibernate for about 4-5 months in the Northeast China taiga forests, which makes bears much less accessible for tigers to hunt throughout the long and very harsh winter months.

Regarding this recently captured footage of a young tiger chasing a large adult male brown bear last year; Feng Limin says the tiger was young, and had not yet mastered the skills of hunting brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[peter]

(02-06-2025, 07:45 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: Biologist Dr. Feng Limin on Amur tigers and Bears 

Here's a video with a recent interview of Northeast China's leading tiger expert, researcher, and field biologist, Dr. Feng Limin.

Feng Limin says that according to their analysis, data, and findings, bears (both Ussuri brown bears & Asiatic black bears) make-up 10% of the tigers diet throughout the year. Through DNA data analysis of tiger feces, biologists found that bears make-up a large portion of the tigers diet in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. They found that the main food of tigers, in addition to large and medium-sized herbivores such as wild boars and sika deer, is actually large carnivores such as bears.

Here's the report:

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1823004...5%E7%86%8A

It's also mentioned that cases of Amur tigers killing and eating both leopards and bears are constantly being recorded. Feng Limin also mentions that in the past, their infrared cameras have recorded shots of tigers chasing bears.

Due to their recent observations, data, and findings over the years, biologist Feng Limin and his team now have a more in-depth understanding and knowledge about the relationships between Amur tigers, leopards, and bears in this ecosystem.

Go to 0:55 in the video:

Just like in the Russian Far East, in Northeast China, the Amur tiger is the undisputed apex predator and dominates the other carnivores (bears, leopards, wolves) that share its habitat, and also regularly hunts and eats both black and brown bears, and kills and eats leopards whenever the opportunity arises.

Bears making up 10% of the Amur tigers annual diet in Northeast China is a significant percentage, considering the fact that both Ussuri brown bears and Asiatic black bears hibernate for about 4-5 months in the Northeast China taiga forests, which makes bears much less accessible for tigers to hunt throughout the long and very harsh winter months.

Regarding this recently captured footage of a young tiger chasing a large adult male brown bear last year; Feng Limin says the tiger was young, and had not yet mastered the skills of hunting brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

APEX

A short, but interesting video. Good find. Dr. Feng Limin was discussed in a number of posts in the recent past. As he's an undisputed authority on tigers, his conclusion about tigers and other predators in northeastern China is of interest. 

The question is why Amur tigers hunt co-predators and scavengers in some districts and not in others. I went over a number of recent studies discussed in this thread and reread all of Gotvansky's reports about tigers in Anyuisky in the period 2015-2022. The conclusion is bears are an important seasonal source of food in some districts and seasons, whereas they're hardly hunted in others. 

I'm in particular referring to Anyuisky. According to Aleksej Gotvansky, tigers living in Anyuisky thrived. Same for Himalayan black bears and, in particular, Ussuri brown bears. When the population of wild boars suddenly decreased as a result of a disease, tigers suffered. Not a few cubs starved to death because their mothers left them. Adult males, as a result of the situation, left Anyuisky to hunt elsewhere. Most returned after some months, but others were not seen for a much longer period of time (even up to a year). During their absence, their sons often took over. Some of them were young adults when their father returned, but Gotvansky never saw a struggle for control. The young adults moved to the fringes, where they seemed to do quite well. Gotvansky also saw new males enter Anyuisky. I'm not referring to young adults trying to find a new home, but to adult males. 

The conclusion, therefore, is the sudden decrease of the number of wild boars resulted in quite a bit of movement, in particular in adult males. Females and young adults, however, stayed in Anyuisky. In the period tigers struggled, Ussuri brown bears, again according to Gotvansky, also suffered. In spite of that, he never found an Ussuri brown bear hunted by a tiger. He did find the remains of a fewHimalayan black bears, but most of them were inexperienced youngsters. 

Not too far from Anyuisky, however, tigers hunt both Himalayan black bears and Ussuri brown bears. I'm referring to Tkatchenko's paper, the interviews of Batalov and the video in which Yuri Kya featured. That's still apart from tiger 'Borya' ('Boris') who also hunted bears on a regular basis (referring to a number of articles discussed in this thread). In this part of the Khabarovsky Krai, a male tiger exceeding 200 kg is considered as large. In Anyuisky, however, males apparently well exceeding that mark do not hunt bears and if they do, they seem to select young Himalayan black bears. This, first of all, suggests size doesn't seem to be a factor in tigers hunting bears. Something else is, and it could be culture. The question is why tigers in Primorye, Manchuria and, today, northeastern China were, and are, more involved in bears than in the Khabarovsky Krai.                   

Anyhow. You've been posting about tigers and bears for quite some time now, meaning it's likely you have some ideas about the reasons tigers hunt bears. If so, you're invited to inform us about your opinion. In my next post in the series about man and tiger in northeast Asia, I'll post some of the reports of Gotvansky. Reply

[Apex Titan]

(02-07-2025, 11:26 AM)peter Wrote:

(02-06-2025, 07:45 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: Biologist Dr. Feng Limin on Amur tigers and Bears 

Here's a video with a recent interview of Northeast China's leading tiger expert, researcher, and field biologist, Dr. Feng Limin.

Feng Limin says that according to their analysis, data, and findings, bears (both Ussuri brown bears & Asiatic black bears) make-up 10% of the tigers diet throughout the year. Through DNA data analysis of tiger feces, biologists found that bears make-up a large portion of the tigers diet in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. They found that the main food of tigers, in addition to large and medium-sized herbivores such as wild boars and sika deer, is actually large carnivores such as bears.

Here's the report:

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1823004...5%E7%86%8A

It's also mentioned that cases of Amur tigers killing and eating both leopards and bears are constantly being recorded. Feng Limin also mentions that in the past, their infrared cameras have recorded shots of tigers chasing bears.

Due to their recent observations, data, and findings over the years, biologist Feng Limin and his team now have a more in-depth understanding and knowledge about the relationships between Amur tigers, leopards, and bears in this ecosystem.

Go to 0:55 in the video:

Just like in the Russian Far East, in Northeast China, the Amur tiger is the undisputed apex predator and dominates the other carnivores (bears, leopards, wolves) that share its habitat, and also regularly hunts and eats both black and brown bears, and kills and eats leopards whenever the opportunity arises.

Bears making up 10% of the Amur tigers annual diet in Northeast China is a significant percentage, considering the fact that both Ussuri brown bears and Asiatic black bears hibernate for about 4-5 months in the Northeast China taiga forests, which makes bears much less accessible for tigers to hunt throughout the long and very harsh winter months.

Regarding this recently captured footage of a young tiger chasing a large adult male brown bear last year; Feng Limin says the tiger was young, and had not yet mastered the skills of hunting brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

APEX

A short, but interesting video. Good find. Dr. Feng Limin was discussed in a number of posts in the recent past. As he's an undisputed authority on tigers, his conclusion about tigers and other predators in northeastern China is of interest. 

The question is why Amur tigers hunt co-predators and scavengers in some districts and not in others. I went over a number of recent studies discussed in this thread and reread all of Gotvansky's reports about tigers in Anyuisky in the period 2015-2022. The conclusion is bears are an important seasonal source of food in some districts and seasons, whereas they're hardly hunted in others. 

I'm in particular referring to Anyuisky. According to Aleksej Gotvansky, tigers living in Anyuisky thrived. Same for Himalayan black bears and, in particular, Ussuri brown bears. When the population of wild boars suddenly decreased as a result of a disease, tigers suffered. Not a few cubs starved to death because their mothers left them. Adult males, as a result of the situation, left Anyuisky to hunt elsewhere. Most returned after some months, but others were not seen for a much longer period of time (even up to a year). During their absence, their sons often took over. Some of them were young adults when their father returned, but Gotvansky never saw a struggle for control. The young adults moved to the fringes, where they seemed to do quite well. Gotvansky also saw new males enter Anyuisky. I'm not referring to young adults trying to find a new home, but to adult males. 

The conclusion, therefore, is the sudden decrease of the number of wild boars resulted in quite a bit of movement, in particular in adult males. Females and young adults, however, stayed in Anyuisky. In the period tigers struggled, Ussuri brown bears, again according to Gotvansky, also suffered. In spite of that, he never found an Ussuri brown bear hunted by a tiger. He did find the remains of a fewHimalayan black bears, but most of them were inexperienced youngsters. 

Not too far from Anyuisky, however, tigers hunt both Himalayan black bears and Ussuri brown bears. I'm referring to Tkatchenko's paper, the interviews of Batalov and the video in which Yuri Kya featured. That's still apart from tiger 'Borya' ('Boris') who also hunted bears on a regular basis (referring to a number of articles discussed in this thread). In this part of the Khabarovsky Krai, a male tiger exceeding 200 kg is considered as large. In Anyuisky, however, males apparently well exceeding that mark do not hunt bears and if they do, they seem to select young Himalayan black bears. This, first of all, suggests size doesn't seem to be a factor in tigers hunting bears. Something else is, and it could be culture. The question is why tigers in Primorye, Manchuria and, today, northeastern China were, and are, more involved in bears than in the Khabarovsky Krai.                   

Anyhow. You've been posting about tigers and bears for quite some time now, meaning it's likely you have some ideas about the reasons tigers hunt bears. If so, you're invited to inform us about your opinion. In my next post in the series about man and tiger in northeast Asia, I'll post some of the reports of Gotvansky.

My next post will be a summary on all the recent accounts of tigers hunting and killing bears during the period of 2020 - 2024. I've noticed a consistent pattern of which type of bears, tigers generally target when hunting them as a food source. Its impressive. It clearly debunks all the false assumptions and misconceptions some laymen have about tiger predation on bears. I'm almost done with my post, and will post it next week. I'll also add some scientific studies/sources.

Amur tigers from the Anyuisky National Park are very peculiar compared to the other tigers from different areas and reserves in the Khabarovsk territories. Biologists such as Alexander Batalov and Sergey Kolchin, who both work with and study tigers in the Khabarovsk Krai, said that bears are common prey of tigers. According to Kolchin's observations and experiences, even brown bears are common prey of adult male tigers in the Khabarovsk region. 

In a recent 2023 documentary about tigers in the Khabarovsk territory (I posted in this thread), the Russian tiger expert and forest ranger, Yuri Vankov also says that the main food of tigers is wild boar, red deer, and bears. He also added that bears make-up 13% of the tigers annual diet in the Khabarovsk Krai.

There are also other seasoned experts like Yuri Kya and Tkachenko who have observed that tigers regularly hunt and eat bears in the Khabarovsk territories.

So, overall, in general, bears are regularly killed and eaten by tigers in most areas of the Khabarovsk Krai. The Anyuisky National Park seems to be an exception. Tigers, for some reason, are not that interested in eating bears in that particular National Park. But in most areas of the Khabarovsk region, bears are a delicacy and favored prey item of tigers, which is consistent with the usual behaviour of most Amur tigers from the Primorye region and Northeast China. Reply

[peter]

USSURI BROWN BEAR HUNTED BY A TIGER NEAR THE VILLAGE OF YAGODNY

a - Video

The video ('Remains of Ussuri brown bear killed and eaten by Amur tiger. 2024.'), although short (01:35), is of interest. It was uploaded to YouTube by 'BiL' on February 11, 2025, but those who made the video apparently posted it on December 16, 2024.  

b - Liner Notes

" ... Tiger vs bear. 

Not far from the village of Yagodny, the gas pipeline security group saw tiger tracks almost every day back in November (2024). Fortunately, the striped one only hunts animals. Today, for example, it had a bear for dinner. The men found traces of the feast today on their rounds ... "   

c - Link to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kucEkzOWo3o&t=3s

d - Location

There are quite a few villages called Yagodny ('masculin')) in the Russian Federation. We're looking for a village with that name situated close to a gas pipeline in a region that has forest, Amur tigers, Ussuri brown bears and snow in late fall. Chances are the Yagodny in the liner notes is a small village in Komsomolsk District in Khabarovsk Krai. Komsomolsk is not that far from the gas pipeline between Sachalin and Vladivostok. 

Here's part of an article about the gas pipeline I found (Google). Watch the map on the top (left):

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's a bit more about the Komsomolsky Municipal District. Watch the map and the map above:

*This image is copyright of its original author

The Komsomolsky Municipal District isn't that far from the Anyuysky National Park. Here's the first two pages about the Anyuysky National Park from Google: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

If we combine the information (referring to the scans above), the conclusion is the village Yagodny (referring to the liner notes of the video) is part of the Komsomolsky Municipal District located in the Khabarovky Krai. That district is quite close to the Anyuysky National Park.

Could a tiger from that park have been involved in the incident described in the video? Distancewise, the answer is affirmative. 

This from a man who said tigers in the Anyuysky National Park, apart from the occasional young Himalayan black bear, were not involved in bears in the period 2015-2022? Well, ehh, yes. I got to that conclusion after reading all reports of Aleksej Gotvansky published in the magazin I referred to in my previous post.

So what's different between tigers living the Anyuysky National Park and tigers living outside of that park? I don't know. I do know Gotvansky wrote poachers entered the Anyuysky National Park more than once in the period 2015-2022. He found clear evidence of their presence. Not a few cameras were stolen. At least one male tiger was shot. In one winter only, 4 tigers perished at the hand of man. One was found floating in a river and 3 others were killed on roads. But tigers in the Anyuysky National Park, for some reason, never retaliated. In many other districts of the Khabarovsky Krai, conflicts between tiger and man are quite numerous, especially in the last decade. I'm referring to hundreds of incidents. Residents in the Khabarovsky Krai (also referring to the somewhat casual remark in the liner notes of the video) are quite aware of these incidents, meaning they have become quite wary. 

What I'm saying is the Anyuysky National Park seems to be a bit of an exception in that conflicts between wild animals and villagers are few. Outside of the national park, the situation is very different. So much so, articles about 'conflict tigers' have been published more than once. I also saw a few documentaries in which villagers complained about tigers. I don't know if the problems are a result of the growing number of tigers, as many seem to think, but I do know the disease that affected the population of wild boars resulted in the migration of adult male tigers from the Anyuysky National Park. Not a few of those who watched the documentaries I referred to, however, thought logging, new roads and poaching were the main causes of the problems.  

e - The video (content)

The video has a transcript. This means you can more or less follow the discussion between the men. I said 'more or less', because the discussion isn't conclusive. The men found prints of in the snow. When they followed them, they found a bit of fur, blood covered snow, a bed used by the tiger, another one where the bear had been consumed and, in the end, a paw of an Ussuri bear. All in all, the video is inconclusive. But not quite. 

The liner notes say the members of the security team had seen tiger prints almost every day in the district they patrolled in November 2024. The men were wary, which most probably was a result of the recent conflicts between tiger and man in the Russian Far East. The tiger that left his (or her) prints in the snow, however, only hunted wild animals. On that particular day, a bear had been killed. The way paragraph is constructed suggests they might have found other animals killed by that particular tiger, but that's an assumption only.

Although a trail can be seen in the snow, the prints are unclear. This means they had been made in light snow. After the tiger left, it had snowed again. It didn't amount to much. The original prints hadn't been completely covered, but the new snow had blurred the details. Enough to create questions regarding the gender, size and age of the tiger and the bear. When they followed the trail, the men found a bit of blood here and there and a bit more in one particular spot. This, so it seems, is the spot where the bear had been killed. The bear had been dragged to a small tree a bit further on and the tiger had started eating. The bed, almost free of snow, suggests the tiger has rested every now and then. The tiger had been hungry. Apart from the paw, the bear had been completely eaten.  

Although the spot where the bear had been killed was covered with young trees and saplings, there were no clear signs of a struggle. This, most probably, means the bear had been surprised and quickly killed. The absence of a lot of blood suggests the bear had been killed with a bite to the back of the skull. This method is used when the bear is smaller than the tiger. The paw they found was larger than the hand of the man that held it, but not by much. The claws were shorter than his fingers and had been worn down to a degree. 

The bear had been killed in November, when it had already started snowing. The question is why the bear wasn't hibernating. One reason could have been a lack of snow, enabling it to continue foraging. Another reason is a lack of fat. I don't know if there had been a crop failure, but I do know the population of wild boars and red deer wasn't quite up to par as the result of the disease I referred to in my previous post. In some districts, the population had largely recovered, but in others tigers were still struggling. Ussuri brown bears hunt wild boars as well, but in this department they not as able as tigers. 

As far as I know, nothing was known about the hunter. There's, however, no question it was a tiger. The members of the security team had found tiger prints for some time before they found the paw of the bear.

f - Conclusion

Somewhere in November 2024, a tiger surprised an Ussuri brown bear very close to a (logging) road (also) used by members of a security team of Gazprom. Although the video doesn't show clear prints of both the tiger and the bear, the members of the security team saw prints of a tiger almost every day. Tigers are territorial predators. This means it's very likely the tiger leaving the prints had been involved in the incident.

A few deep prints and a quite large patch of stained blood suggest the tiger had attacked the bear very close to the road. Although the bear, judging from the amount of blood in the snow, had been quite badly injured, it managed to shake the tiger off. Another large bloody spot was found 10-15 yards further on. The absence of a drag mark between both spots suggests the bear had covered the distance on it's own. The tiger engaged the bear a few seconds later. During the second attack, the bear was killed. The absence of broken trees and saplings suggests the struggle had been brief. After the bear had been killed, the tiger dragged it to a small tree a few yards further on and most probably consumed the bear at that spot. 

Judging from the absence of remains (the members of the security team only found a bit of fur and one of the front paws), the tiger had been hungry. The bed, almost free of snow, was very close to the spot where the bear had been consumed. The lack of snow of the bed suggests the tiger had stayed with the bear for a considerable period of time, possibly 2-3 days. In that period, snow had fallen. Judging from the prints the men found, the amount of snow had been very limited. 

The paw of the bear was larger than the hand of the man that held it, but not by much. The claws were shorter than his fingers and a bit worn. Although the paw wasn't small, the bear had been killed without much of a fight. It did, however, manage to shake off the tiger after the first attack. The bear was strong enough to do so, suggesting it was quite large, possibly adult. The tiger, however, was able to kill the bear during the second attack, suggesting it was a larger animal. And, judging from the very limited amount of time needed to kill the bear, quite experienced. My guess is the tiger was an adult male. Some of those commenting on the video thought the bear was an adult male, but the size of the paw suggests this is unlikely. The paw, however, wasn't small, suggesting the owner could have been a young adult male or an adult female. Judging from the size of the paw and the claws, my guess is it was an adult female. She wasn't in good shape, because she wasn't hibernating in November. Non-hibernating brown bears, also known as 'Schatuns', lack the fat needed to hibernate. Weightwise, they're well under par. Not seldom, they're desperate and dangerous. In Baikov's day, hunters cooperated to eliminate them.  

And then there's 'satellite bears'. Only few of them hibernate, because they don't need to on account of their size (weight) and, perhaps, experience. Some follow and rob good hunters, like tigresses with cubs, whereas others have other ways to overcome the problems typical for winter. I don't know if an adult female Ussuri brown bear qualifies for that title, but I do know of a case of an adult female 'Schatun' that killed, and consumed, a hibernating adult male Ussuri brown bear. Desperate animals are capable of anything. 

The Ussuri brown bear killed near Nagodny, however, wasn't able to put up much of a fight. Could have been a result of a difference in size and age. If the tiger was from Anyuysky National Park, as I suspect, chances are it was a quite large animal. The next post will have some scans of the reports of Aleksej Gotvansky. He saw prints left by males with a heel width ranging between 14,0-16,0 cm. Only one of these prints was measured in light, but trampled, snow. All others were measured in summer. Reply

[Apex Titan]

(02-13-2025, 05:26 AM)peter Wrote: USSURI BROWN BEAR HUNTED BY A TIGER NEAR THE VILLAGE OF YAGODNY

a - Video

The video ('Remains of Ussuri brown bear killed and eaten by Amur tiger. 2024.'), although short (01:35), is of interest. It was uploaded to YouTube by 'BiL' on February 11, 2025, but those who made the video apparently posted it on December 16, 2024.  

b - Liner Notes

" ... Tiger vs bear. 

Not far from the village of Yagodny, the gas pipeline security group saw tiger tracks almost every day back in November (2024). Fortunately, the striped one only hunts animals. Today, for example, it had a bear for dinner. The men found traces of the feast today on their rounds ... "   

c - Link to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kucEkzOWo3o&t=3s

d - Location

There are quite a few villages called Yagodny ('masculin')) in the Russian Federation. We're looking for a village with that name situated close to a gas pipeline in a region that has forest, Amur tigers, Ussuri brown bears and snow in late fall. Chances are the Yagodny in the liner notes is a small village in Komsomolsk District in Khabarovsk Krai. Komsomolsk is not that far from the gas pipeline between Sachalin and Vladivostok. 

Here's part of an article about the gas pipeline I found (Google). Watch the map on the top (left):

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's a bit more about the Komsomolsky Municipal District. Watch the map and the map above:

*This image is copyright of its original author

The Komsomolsky Municipal District isn't that far from the Anyuysky National Park. Here's the first two pages about the Anyuysky National Park from Google: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

If we combine the information (referring to the scans above), the conclusion is the village Yagodny (referring to the liner notes of the video) is part of the Komsomolsky Municipal District located in the Khabarovky Krai. That district is quite close to the Anyuysky National Park.

Could a tiger from that park have been involved in the incident described in the video? Distancewise, the answer is affirmative. 

This from a man who said tigers in the Anyuysky National Park, apart from the occasional young Himalayan black bear, were not involved in bears in the period 2015-2022? Well, ehh, yes. I got to that conclusion after reading all reports of Aleksej Gotvansky published in the magazin I referred to in my previous post.

So what's different between tigers living the Anyuysky National Park and tigers living outside of that park? I don't know. I do know Gotvansky wrote poachers entered the Anyuysky National Park more than once in the period 2015-2022. He found clear evidence of their presence. Not a few cameras were stolen. At least one male tiger was shot. In one winter only, 4 tigers perished at the hand of man. One was found floating in a river and 3 others were killed on roads. But tigers in the Anyuysky National Park, for some reason, never retaliated. In many other districts of the Khabarovsky Krai, conflicts between tiger and man are quite numerous, especially in the last decade. I'm referring to hundreds of incidents. Residents in the Khabarovsky Krai (also referring to the somewhat casual remark in the liner notes of the video) are quite aware of these incidents, meaning they have become quite wary. 

What I'm saying is the Anyuysky National Park seems to be a bit of an exception in that conflicts between wild animals and villagers are few. Outside of the national park, the situation is very different. So much so, articles about 'conflict tigers' have been published more than once. I also saw a few documentaries in which villagers complained about tigers. I don't know if the problems are a result of the growing number of tigers, as many seem to think, but I do know the disease that affected the population of wild boars resulted in the migration of adult male tigers from the Anyuysky National Park. Not a few of those who watched the documentaries I referred to, however, thought logging, new roads and poaching were the main causes of the problems.  

e - The video (content)

The video has a transcript. This means you can more or less follow the discussion between the men. I said 'more or less', because the discussion isn't conclusive. The men found prints of in the snow. When they followed them, they found a bit of fur, blood covered snow, a bed used by the tiger, another one where the bear had been consumed and, in the end, a paw of an Ussuri bear. All in all, the video is inconclusive. But not quite. 

The liner notes say the members of the security team had seen tiger prints almost every day in the district they patrolled in November 2024. The men were wary, which most probably was a result of the recent conflicts between tiger and man in the Russian Far East. The tiger that left his (or her) prints in the snow, however, only hunted wild animals. On that particular day, a bear had been killed. The way paragraph is constructed suggests they might have found other animals killed by that particular tiger, but that's an assumption only.

Although a trail can be seen in the snow, the prints are unclear. This means they had been made in light snow. After the tiger left, it had snowed again. It didn't amount to much. The original prints hadn't been completely covered, but the new snow had blurred the details. Enough to create questions regarding the gender, size and age of the tiger and the bear. When they followed the trail, the men found a bit of blood here and there and a bit more in one particular spot. This, so it seems, is the spot where the bear had been killed. The bear had been dragged to a small tree a bit further on and the tiger had started eating. The bed, almost free of snow, suggests the tiger has rested every now and then. The tiger had been hungry. Apart from the paw, the bear had been completely eaten.  

Although the spot where the bear had been killed was covered with young trees and saplings, there were no clear signs of a struggle. This, most probably, means the bear had been surprised and quickly killed. The absence of a lot of blood suggests the bear had been killed with a bite to the back of the skull. This method is used when the bear is smaller than the tiger. The paw they found was larger than the hand of the man that held it, but not by much. The claws were shorter than his fingers and had been worn down to a degree. 

The bear had been killed in November, when it had already started snowing. The question is why the bear wasn't hibernating. One reason could have been a lack of snow, enabling it to continue foraging. Another reason is a lack of fat. I don't know if there had been a crop failure, but I do know the population of wild boars and red deer wasn't quite up to par as the result of the disease I referred to in my previous post. In some districts, the population had largely recovered, but in others tigers were still struggling. Ussuri brown bears hunt wild boars as well, but in this department they not as able as tigers. 

As far as I know, nothing was known about the hunter. There's, however, no question it was a tiger. The members of the security team had found tiger prints for some time before they found the paw of the bear.

f - Conclusion

Somewhere in November 2024, a tiger surprised an Ussuri brown bear very close to a (logging) road (also) used by members of a security team of Gazprom. Although the video doesn't show clear prints of both the tiger and the bear, the members of the security team saw prints of a tiger almost every day. Tigers are territorial predators. This means it's very likely the tiger leaving the prints had been involved in the incident.

A few deep prints and a quite large patch of stained blood suggest the tiger had attacked the bear very close to the road. Although the bear, judging from the amount of blood in the snow, had been quite badly injured, it managed to shake the tiger off. Another large bloody spot was found 10-15 yards further on. The absence of a drag mark between both spots suggests the bear had covered the distance on it's own. The tiger engaged the bear a few seconds later. During the second attack, the bear was killed. The absence of broken trees and saplings suggests the struggle had been brief. After the bear had been killed, the tiger dragged it to a small tree a few yards further on and most probably consumed the bear at that spot. 

Judging from the absence of remains (the members of the security team only found a bit of fur and one of the front paws), the tiger had been hungry. The bed, almost free of snow, was very close to the spot where the bear had been consumed. The lack of snow of the bed suggests the tiger had stayed with the bear for a considerable period of time, possibly 2-3 days. In that period, snow had fallen. Judging from the prints the men found, the amount of snow had been very limited. 

The paw of the bear was larger than the hand of the man that held it, but not by much. The claws were shorter than his fingers and a bit worn. Although the paw wasn't small, the bear had been killed without much of a fight. It did, however, manage to shake off the tiger after the first attack. The bear was strong enough to do so, suggesting it was quite large, possibly adult. The tiger, however, was able to kill the bear during the second attack, suggesting it was a larger animal. And, judging from the very limited amount of time needed to kill the bear, quite experienced. My guess is the tiger was an adult male. Some of those commenting on the video thought the bear was an adult male, but the size of the paw suggests this is unlikely. The paw, however, wasn't small, suggesting the owner could have been a young adult male or an adult female. Judging from the size of the paw and the claws, my guess is it was an adult female. She wasn't in good shape, because she wasn't hibernating in November. Non-hibernating brown bears, also known as 'Schatuns', lack the fat needed to hibernate. Weightwise, they're well under par. Not seldom, they're desperate and dangerous. In Baikov's day, hunters cooperated to eliminate them.  

And then there's 'satellite bears'. Only few of them hibernate, because they don't need to on account of their size (weight) and, perhaps, experience. Some follow and rob good hunters, like tigresses with cubs, whereas others have other ways to overcome the problems typical for winter. I don't know if an adult female Ussuri brown bear qualifies for that title, but I do know of a case of an adult female 'Schatun' that killed, and consumed, a hibernating adult male Ussuri brown bear. Desperate animals are capable of anything. 

The Ussuri brown bear killed near Nagodny, however, wasn't able to put up much of a fight. Could have been a result of a difference in size and age. If the tiger was from Anyuysky National Park, as I suspect, chances are it was a quite large animal. The next post will have some scans of the reports of Aleksej Gotvansky. He saw prints left by males with a heel width ranging between 14,0-16,0 cm. Only one of these prints was measured in light, but trampled, snow. All others were measured in summer.

Nice find, Peter.

Accounts like this, and the case of Odyr killing the large male brown bear, just prove that there are many cases that happen of Amur tigers hunting and killing Ussuri brown bears that biologists never discover, or are never reported in scientific publications. Of course, these cases are common, as bears are regularly hunted and eaten by tigers.

Judging by the size of the killed bear's paw, and the fact that it was able to fend off the tiger's initial attack, I'm certain that it was an adult brown bear killed. Note, the paw is half-eaten and folded, but still larger than the man's hand. If the paw was fully intact and opened, it would have been large. To me, this indicates that it was an adult brown bear killed and eaten by the tiger. Could have been a mature adult female, or a medium-sized adult male brown bear.

Peter, any bear, whether male or female, or brown or black, not hibernating in November, doesn't necessarily mean that the bear was not in good shape. Remember the report I posted from Yuri Kya? He stated, that when there's a good amount of food in the forest for bears, the bears will go into hibernation later, and will roam the forest up to mid December. Batalov also reported the same fact. Its very likely, that the adult brown bear hunted and killed by the tiger near Yagodny, was in good shape, well-fed, and about to go into hibernation soon.

After all, various experienced biologists have said, and scientific studies also confirm, that Amur tigers strongly prefer to hunt and eat well-fed bears in summer and autumn. A healthy, well-fed adult brown bear in November, preparing for hibernation, would make a delicious, calorie-rich, and fatty dinner for a tiger.

This was also the case with Odyr. Odyr hunted and killed a large, well-fed adult male brown bear that was about to go into hibernation in late November. That year (2022), Yuri Kya said there was a good harvest of food for bears in the Khekhtsir reserve, all bears were well-fed and had plenty to eat, and the bears were roaming the forest up til mid December.

And lastly, a tiger can quickly kill a large bear. Biologist Yuri Dunishenko stated that Amur tigers even kill large bears with a single bite to the base of the skull. The male tiger Dima, with only 3 canines, was able to instantly kill a huge, similar-sized brown bear sow with a single bite to the nape of the neck. So there's no doubt that Amur tigers are able to quickly overwhelm and kill large brown bears with a single bite.

However, the brown bear hunted and killed near Yagodny, was able to fight off the tiger's initial attack, which suggests that it was an adult brown bear killed. Reply

[Apex Titan]

@peter 

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ussuri brown bears roaming the taiga during winter in November or December, doesn't necessarily mean the bear is a 'schatun' in weak condition. I've seen numerous camera trap photos of large and healthy adult Ussuri brown bears walking the forest during the winter months. It all depends on the harvest of food.

During the first snow-falls of winter (November - early December), the bears do not go into hibernation, they continue to accumulate fat for the long winter ahead, and usually go into hibernation around mid December.

Here's a good example of a healthy, well-fed adult Ussuri brown bear in great condition, still roaming the taiga in the winter of November 13, 2023:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdXvmGlGfi8

A well-fed Ussuri brown bear in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

"It is believed that on December 13, bears finally settle down in their dens for winter hibernation".

Another healthy, well-fed Ussuri brown bear in good shape, roaming the forest in winter (Northeast China):

A non-hibernating Ussuri brown bear in excellent condition in winter: (Sikhote-Alin)

A bear in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve organized a winter disco. The brown bear was caught on surveillance cameras and surprised experts - instead of sleeping peacefully in his den, the clubfoot started "dancing".

https://zhizn.ru/p/5356

 A healthy Ussuri brown bear in good condition roaming the taiga in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

*This image is copyright of its original author

In Primorye, a large and well-fed male Ussuri brown bear did not go into hibernation:

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Now the hunting inspectorate has joined the search for the predator - from the tracks it was possible to determine that the individual was quite large and well-fed."

https://zhizn.ru/p/5734

These are just a few of numerous pictures/videos I've seen of healthy and well-fed Ussuri brown bears still walking the taiga during the winter months.

Its safe to say, that whenever a tiger hunts and kills a non-hibernating brown bear in winter, it doesn't necessarily mean the bear was a 'schatun' in bad condition. Its very likely that the bear was in great condition and well-fed, and plans to hibernate later on. The account of Odyr hunting and killing a non-hibernating, but large, healthy adult male brown bear in late November is a good example of this. 

Also, in general, Amur tigers strongly prefer to hunt and eat healthy, well-fed bears that have gained weight. A skinny, weakened, and underweight 'schatun' brown bear does not make an enticing and calorie-rich meal for a hungry tiger. This is why cases of Amur tigers killing and eating unhealthy 'schatun' brown bears are rare.

In fact, I've never seen a single modern day account (last 35 years) of a tiger killing and eating a 'schatun' brown bear. There are countless modern day cases of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, and in all cases, tigers deliberately targeted and killed healthy, well-fed adult brown bears, primarily during the peak seasons - summer and autumn. That says it all. Reply

[Apex Titan]

Amur tigers actively hunt and kill brown bears in Northeast China (New field research, 2025)

Here's two new articles published 2 days ago about Amur tigers regularly hunting bears in China. In Northeast China, scientists and biologists have discovered that Siberian tigers are actively hunting and eating brown bears. Their camera traps have recorded footage of tigers pursuing even large adult brown bears.

Its a well known and documented fact, that in Russia, Amur tigers habitually hunt and kill bears, and even large male brown bears are included on their menu. Interestingly, the Amur tigers from Northeast China are also active bear-killers, and are killing and eating a lot of bears in that region. Biologists found that bears make-up 10% of the Siberian tigers' diet in Northeast China. Like in Russia, in Northeast China, the Amur tigers are also hunting, fighting, killing, and eating adult brown bears.

This information and discovery, was even reported on CBC News in America. (Watch video below).

In the video, renowned bear expert, researcher & ecologist - Chris Morgan recounts the moment when Chinese biologists discovered that Amur tigers are regularly hunting, killing, and eating brown bears. He also notes, that tigers not only attack bears, but also win the fights, and then eat the bears. 

This fact amazes him because he's extensively studied, filmed, and tracked the giant brown bears and grizzlies of Alaska and North America, as well as polar bears. And bears on every continent they inhabit. So the fact that such a massive and immensely powerful carnivore as an adult brown bear, gets dominated, hunted down, killed, and devoured by tigers, simply fascinates him.

Here's the 2 reports:

The Apex Paradox: When Siberian Tigers Hunt Brown Bears

"Deep in the forests of northeastern China, a hidden battle has been unfolding - one that scientists only recently uncovered. For years, brown bears in these remote regions feared little aside from humans. But now, camera traps and ecological studies have revealed a stunning reality: Siberian tigers, the largest big cats on Earth, are actively hunting and eating brown bears."

"When researchers analyzed the scat of wild Siberian tigers, they found an unexpected presence - brown bear remains. Further analysis revealed that up to 10% of a Siberian tiger's diet consists of bears. This was no isolated incident. Remote cameras captured chilling footage of these massive cats stalking, ambushing, and ultimately taking down bears in the dense forests of China."

"At first, the discovery seemed almost unbelievable. Brown bears are formidable predators in their own right, strong and resourceful, often out-competing other carnivores for food. But the Siberian tiger - a stealthy, 600-pound, perfectly engineered predator - has found a way to turn the tables."

"Some brown bears may put up a fight, but even they struggle against a tiger's overwhelming speed, agility, and sheer muscle."

"The tigers may not always target the largest bears, but they have been recorded hunting both adult and juvenile brown bears, proving their dominance over a species many assumed to be nearly untouchable in the wild."

What This Means for the Ecosystem

"This discovery reshapes our understanding of predator hierarchies. We tend to see tigers and bears as rivals, but this new evidence suggests a more complex interaction - one where tigers are not just competitors, but apex predators enforcing a balance in the ecosystem."

"While it may be shocking to some, predation plays a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Without tigers controlling populations of prey - and even other carnivores - certain species could overpopulate, leading to habitat degradation and food shortages."

"The fact that Siberian tigers can hunt brown bears speaks to their power and resilience. But their greatest battle isn't against bears - it's against extinction."

https://bigcatrescue.org/conservation-ne...rown-bears

Scientists Share Chilling Footage of Siberian Tigers Hunting Bears

February 14, 2025

Camera traps set up in China to help monitor and protect Siberian tigers, an endangered species, captured a startling discovery: Siberian tigers hunting and eating bears.

Most bear species in China are considered apex predators. Until recently, it was believed that their only threat would be humans hunting them or habitat loss. However, footage from China shows Siberian tigers hunting multiple species of bears, putting bears’ place on the totem pole into question.

Scientists followed up on the sightings with expert trackers to learn more about this unique situation. By analyzing the scat of the tigers, scientists determined that almost ten percent of their diet now consists of bears.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers (P. t. tigris), are the largest cat in the world. They display a trait called sexual dimorphism, where the females and males differ in size and weight. Males can weigh up to 675 pounds (306 kilograms), while females top out at around 370 pounds (167 kilograms).

As for their surprising prey, China is home to numerous bear species beyond the famous panda bear. Asiatic black bears and brown bears are found throughout much of China, and although Asiatic black bears aren’t as heavy as the largest Siberian tigers, brown bears can be much more imposing.

These conservation efforts led to researchers placing trail cameras to keep track of the tigers. Instead, they captured this stunning footage of Siberian tigers stalking, chasing, and ambushing both brown (Ursus arctos) and Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus).

Powerful Conflict

The question of how the tigers win over the bears is how the animals’ hunting styles vary. While bears rely on brute strength to win over their prey, tigers have a completely different approach. They use their stripes as camouflage to ambush and strike their target with speed and a precise bite of deadly force.

Over 10% of the scat found included bear remains, which reflects the tigers’ changing predation habits in China.

“The idea of a tiger attacking a bear and winning in the fight is nothing but extraordinary. So, when your research sort of reveals these relationships, how this ecosystem is operating. It’s just so exciting. It’s powerful,” The Wild podcast host, Chris Morgan, shared with CBC News.

https://petapixel.com/2025/02/14/chinese...ing-bears/

All in all, in very recent years (2015 - 2025) more and more accounts of Amur tigers hunting, chasing, fighting, and killing adult Ussuri brown bears in Russia and China keep on being discovered and reported. In 2022, a large male brown bear of impressive size, was hunted, killed and eaten by a male Amur tiger in the Khabarovsk territory, and in 2024, an adult brown bear was hunted, killed and eaten by a tiger near Yagodny in the same region. And now we have this new 2025 data and scientific information from China about tigers regularly hunting and eating brown bears. 

Its very clear, that overall, Amur tigers in Russia and China dominate brown bears. This is an undeniable fact.

Brown bears, who are usually considered as 'apex predators' throughout most of their range in the wild (North America, Europe, Alaska, etc), are no longer 'apex' in the same forests and regions as tigers. In the Far East Russian and Northeast Chinese taiga, adult brown bears are on the menu of Amur tigers and officially rank as a prey item.

Even back in 2020, Chinese researchers and biologists, after several years of monitoring, observed the Amur tigers' sheer dominance over both brown bears and black bears in the Taipinggou Nature Reserve in Northeast China. After the arrival of the tiger, the number of bears started to decrease:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://m.news.cctv.com/2020/10/27/ARTIX...1027.shtml Reply

[peter]

(02-14-2025, 06:14 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: @peter 

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ussuri brown bears roaming the taiga during winter in November or December, doesn't necessarily mean the bear is a 'schatun' in weak condition. I've seen numerous camera trap photos of large and healthy adult Ussuri brown bears walking the forest during the winter months. It all depends on the harvest of food.

During the first snow-falls of winter (November - early December), the bears do not go into hibernation, they continue to accumulate fat for the long winter ahead, and usually go into hibernation around mid December.

Here's a good example of a healthy, well-fed adult Ussuri brown bear in great condition, still roaming the taiga in the winter of November 13, 2023:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdXvmGlGfi8

A well-fed Ussuri brown bear in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

"It is believed that on December 13, bears finally settle down in their dens for winter hibernation".

Another healthy, well-fed Ussuri brown bear in good shape, roaming the forest in winter (Northeast China):

A non-hibernating Ussuri brown bear in excellent condition in winter: (Sikhote-Alin)

A bear in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve organized a winter disco. The brown bear was caught on surveillance cameras and surprised experts - instead of sleeping peacefully in his den, the clubfoot started "dancing".

https://zhizn.ru/p/5356

 A healthy Ussuri brown bear in good condition roaming the taiga in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

*This image is copyright of its original author

In Primorye, a large and well-fed male Ussuri brown bear did not go into hibernation:

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Now the hunting inspectorate has joined the search for the predator - from the tracks it was possible to determine that the individual was quite large and well-fed."

https://zhizn.ru/p/5734

These are just a few of numerous pictures/videos I've seen of healthy and well-fed Ussuri brown bears still walking the taiga during the winter months.

Its safe to say, that whenever a tiger hunts and kills a non-hibernating brown bear in winter, it doesn't necessarily mean the bear was a 'schatun' in bad condition. Its very likely that the bear was in great condition and well-fed, and plans to hibernate later on. The account of Odyr hunting and killing a non-hibernating, but large, healthy adult male brown bear in late November is a good example of this. 

Also, in general, Amur tigers strongly prefer to hunt and eat healthy, well-fed bears that have gained weight. A skinny, weakened, and underweight 'schatun' brown bear does not make an enticing and calorie-rich meal for a hungry tiger. This is why cases of Amur tigers killing and eating unhealthy 'schatun' brown bears are rare.

In fact, I've never seen a single modern day account (last 35 years) of a tiger killing and eating a 'schatun' brown bear. There are countless modern day cases of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, and in all cases, tigers deliberately targeted and killed healthy, well-fed adult brown bears, primarily during the peak seasons - summer and autumn. That says it all.

APEX

Interesting post. Much appreciated. The videos you posted show adult male Ussuri brown bears, as you said, roam the taiga until late December. They roughly confirm the findings in this article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...n_Far_East

a - Scans

Here's a few scans from 'Denning ecology of brown bears and Asiatic black bears in the Russian Far East', Seryodkin (IV) et al, in: 'Ursus', 14(2): 153-161 (2003)

a1 - Title page and summary: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

a2 - Study area ('Sichote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik', 1993-2002):

*This image is copyright of its original author

a3 - Characteristics of den sites used by Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

a4 - Den entry and emerging dates for Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

b - Conclusions

Ussuri male brown bears (averages from Table 3) entered their den on December 20 and emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 126 days. Himalayan male black bears entered their den on November 23 and also emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 136 days. Himalayan female black bears hibernated for 153 days, whereas Usssuri female brown bears hibernated for 169 days. One could conclude Ussuri brown bears in general are more prolific sleepers and be close, but male Ussuri brown bears, for some reason, are quite moderate in the hibernation department.

Himalayan black bears used " ... a greater variation of den types than did brown bears ... " (pp. 157) and " ... most often denned in cavity trees. Tree dens likely provide greater thermal protection, particularly in in areas where snow is less likely to provide insulation cover, and they may provide greater protection from predation ... " (pp. 158). Both Ussuri brown bears and Amur tigers hunt Himalayan black bears, but " ... neither tigers nor brown bears are proficient tree climbers ... " (pp. 158). 

Male Himalayan black bears (629 meters above sea level) and, in particular, male Ussuri brown bears (872 meters above sea level), more so than females, denned at high elevations. Ussuri brown bears often selected steep slopes, whereas Himalayan black bears avoided slopes. They preferred river bottoms at lower elevations, where "  ... the probability of finding potential tree dens likely was greater ... " (pp. 158).  

I'm not too sure about the remark regarding tigers and their ability to climb trees. One radio-collared male Himalayan black bear (see above) was taken out of a tree by a male tiger. I posted a video of a male tiger climbing a tree to inspect a cavity in winter some time ago. Here's another video showing the remains of a male Himalayan black bear, not a small animal, killed and eaten by a male tiger in winter. The bear was a bit sloppy regarding the tree he selected:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkdhfRnfR8o Reply

[Apex Titan]

(02-17-2025, 07:10 AM)peter Wrote:

(02-14-2025, 06:14 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: @peter 

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ussuri brown bears roaming the taiga during winter in November or December, doesn't necessarily mean the bear is a 'schatun' in weak condition. I've seen numerous camera trap photos of large and healthy adult Ussuri brown bears walking the forest during the winter months. It all depends on the harvest of food.

During the first snow-falls of winter (November - early December), the bears do not go into hibernation, they continue to accumulate fat for the long winter ahead, and usually go into hibernation around mid December.

Here's a good example of a healthy, well-fed adult Ussuri brown bear in great condition, still roaming the taiga in the winter of November 13, 2023:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdXvmGlGfi8

A well-fed Ussuri brown bear in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

"It is believed that on December 13, bears finally settle down in their dens for winter hibernation".

Another healthy, well-fed Ussuri brown bear in good shape, roaming the forest in winter (Northeast China):

A non-hibernating Ussuri brown bear in excellent condition in winter: (Sikhote-Alin)

A bear in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve organized a winter disco. The brown bear was caught on surveillance cameras and surprised experts - instead of sleeping peacefully in his den, the clubfoot started "dancing".

https://zhizn.ru/p/5356

 A healthy Ussuri brown bear in good condition roaming the taiga in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

*This image is copyright of its original author

In Primorye, a large and well-fed male Ussuri brown bear did not go into hibernation:

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Now the hunting inspectorate has joined the search for the predator - from the tracks it was possible to determine that the individual was quite large and well-fed."

https://zhizn.ru/p/5734

These are just a few of numerous pictures/videos I've seen of healthy and well-fed Ussuri brown bears still walking the taiga during the winter months.

Its safe to say, that whenever a tiger hunts and kills a non-hibernating brown bear in winter, it doesn't necessarily mean the bear was a 'schatun' in bad condition. Its very likely that the bear was in great condition and well-fed, and plans to hibernate later on. The account of Odyr hunting and killing a non-hibernating, but large, healthy adult male brown bear in late November is a good example of this. 

Also, in general, Amur tigers strongly prefer to hunt and eat healthy, well-fed bears that have gained weight. A skinny, weakened, and underweight 'schatun' brown bear does not make an enticing and calorie-rich meal for a hungry tiger. This is why cases of Amur tigers killing and eating unhealthy 'schatun' brown bears are rare.

In fact, I've never seen a single modern day account (last 35 years) of a tiger killing and eating a 'schatun' brown bear. There are countless modern day cases of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, and in all cases, tigers deliberately targeted and killed healthy, well-fed adult brown bears, primarily during the peak seasons - summer and autumn. That says it all.

APEX

Interesting post. Much appreciated. The videos you posted show adult male Ussuri brown bears, as you said, roam the taiga until late December. They roughly confirm the findings in this article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...n_Far_East

a - Scans

Here's a few scans from 'Denning ecology of brown bears and Asiatic black bears in the Russian Far East', Seryodkin (IV) et al, in: 'Ursus', 14(2): 153-161 (2003)

a1 - Title page and summary: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

a2 - Study area ('Sichote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik', 1993-2002):

*This image is copyright of its original author

a3 - Characteristics of den sites used by Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

a4 - Den entry and emerging dates for Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

b - Conclusions

Ussuri male brown bears (averages from Table 3) entered their den on December 20 and emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 126 days. Himalayan male black bears entered their den on November 23 and also emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 136 days. Himalayan female black bears hibernated for 153 days, whereas Usssuri female brown bears hibernated for 169 days. One could conclude Ussuri brown bears in general are more prolific sleepers and be close, but male Ussuri brown bears, for some reason, are quite moderate in the hibernation department.

Himalayan black bears used " ... a greater variation of den types than did brown bears ... " (pp. 157) and " ... most often denned in cavity trees. Tree dens likely provide greater thermal protection, particularly in in areas where snow is less likely to provide insulation cover, and they may provide greater protection from predation ... " (pp. 158). Both Ussuri brown bears and Amur tigers hunt Himalayan black bears, but " ... neither tigers nor brown bears are proficient tree climbers ... " (pp. 158). 

Male Himalayan black bears (629 meters above sea level) and, in particular, male Ussuri brown bears (872 meters above sea level), more so than females, denned at high elevations. Ussuri brown bears often selected steep slopes, whereas Himalayan black bears avoided slopes. They preferred river bottoms at lower elevations, where "  ... the probability of finding potential tree dens likely was greater ... " (pp. 158).  

I'm not too sure about the remark regarding tigers and their ability to climb trees. One radio-collared male Himalayan black bear (see above) was taken out of a tree by a male tiger. I posted a video of a male tiger climbing a tree to inspect a cavity in winter some time ago. Here's another video showing the remains of a male Himalayan black bear, not a small animal, killed and eaten by a male tiger in winter. The bear was a bit sloppy regarding the tree he selected:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkdhfRnfR8o

According to the study you posted, adult brown bears prefer to den at high elevations on steep slopes to avoid predation by tigers. In general, hibernating brown bears are not accessible to tigers during the winter months, hence why most adult brown bears are hunted and killed by tigers in summer and autumn, and, in some cases, during early winter before they hibernate.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's another report I found about the Amur tigers regularly hunting bears in northeastern China. 

Tigers preying on bears offers new ecological insight

https://media.bastillepost.com/wp-conten..._music.mp4

A recent wildlife survey in a national park in northeast China reveals that tigers preying on bears is not a rare phenomenon within the park, offering fresh perspectives on predator relationships in the region.

The survey, led by Beijing Normal University and supported by multiple research teams and institutions, is being conducted in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) and marks the launch of its first systematic baseline survey on wildlife resources.

The park, which spans Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, is home to around 70 wild Siberian tigers, 80 wild Amur leopards, along with brown bears, Asian black bears, and other large carnivores. Officially established in 2021, the park is an important biodiversity hub.

Cameras captured a remarkable scene of a Siberian tiger steadily pursuing a large brown bear, which, despite its typically bulky build and slow movements, displayed surprising agility.

Feng Limin, a professor at the College of Life Sciences of Beijing Normal University, explained that the tiger's steady pursuit was likely due to its youth and inexperience in hunting bears.

DNA analysis of tiger and leopard scat samples has revealed that bears -- traditionally considered apex predators with no natural enemies -- make up a notable portion of the Siberian tiger's diet.

"Based on our initial analysis, we've made some surprising discoveries. For example, we further know that in addition to medium and large herbivores like wild boars and sika deer, tigers also prey on large carnivores, such as bears. We've found that bears make up 10 percent of the Siberian tiger's diet year round. Infrared camera footage has previously recorded tigers chasing bears, " Feng said.

Typically, large carnivores are seen as apex predators with no natural enemies, often avoiding direct confrontations by adjusting their activity patterns. However, increasing reports of tigers preying on both leopards and bears are providing new insights into the complex relationships and food webs within the park's ecosystem.

"This helps us gain a deeper understanding of the ecological processes and complex relationships within the ecosystem of the NCTLNP, contributing invaluable data for the future conservation of its biodiversity," the professor added.

https://www.bastillepost.com/global/arti...al-insight

Peter, although sloth bears are significantly smaller and weaker than Ussuri brown bears, the Amur tiger hunts and kills the larger brown bear, far more often than the Bengal tiger hunts and kills the smaller sloth bears. This says something about Amur tigers. This proves, that we simply cannot compare the relationships between Amur tigers and bears to Bengal tigers and sloth bears. There's no comparison. The Amur tiger is far more "bear-thirsty" than its Indian counterpart.

I've seen countless reports and accounts of Bengal tigers killing and eating adult sloth bears throughout history, even numerous recent cases. But still, the amount of reports and accounts I've seen of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, is far more.

Even when wild boar and red deer populations are thriving, Amur tigers will still actively prey on both black and brown bears, and will often develop into bear specialists. And this new scientific field research and studies in Northeast China confirms this.

A young adult tigress was filmed hunting and pursuing a large male brown bear on Feng Limin's drone camera. Now, imagine an adult male tiger, who's an experienced bear-killer, what kind of bears he'll take on and kill. No wonder I've read numerous accounts of large male brown bears killed and eaten by tigers. Reply

[Apex Titan]

Review of Recent Accounts of Tiger Predation on Bears (2020 - 2025)

In addition to this post, here's another informative post I made: "Is a Significant Portion of Bear Consumption by Tigers due to Feeding on Carrion?" (Read post #2,764)

https://wildfact.com/forum/topic-on-the-...s?page=185

To put it simply, tigers are large apex predators that always prefer to eat live prey, and rarely consume carrion. As a rule, tigers only rarely consume carrion in times of desperation or starvation. The large portion of bears in the tigers' diet, is due to predation.

What kind of bears do tigers usually hunt?

*This image is copyright of its original author

In recent years (2020 - 2024), there have been multiple documented cases on video, reports, and pictures of tigers killing and eating bears. In all cases, tigers hunted and killed fully grown adult bears, most of which were adult males, including some large male bears. Amur tigers killed and ate both large male Ussuri brown bears and large male Asiatic black bears, Bengal tigers (including young tigers) hunted and killed adult sloth bears, including large males, and in 2020, an Indochinese tiger hunted, killed, and mostly consumed a large Asiatic black bear in Thailand.

We see a consistent pattern, and that is tigers generally avoid hunting young bears or cubs as a food source, and instead usually hunt adult bears for food. This makes sense as adult bears are large animals which provide a lot more meat for an adult tiger to consume than a young bear typically would. This pattern is not just based on recent accounts, but also on modern scientific field research and studies conducted in both the Primorye and Khabarovsk regions.

According to the Siberian Tiger Project (STP) field research (1992 - 2012), almost all of the black and brown bears hunted, killed, and eaten by tigers, were adult bears. 

During 20 years of research in the Sikhote-Alin and surrounding areas, STP biologists found that Amur tigers hunted and killed adult Asiatic black bears of all ages, genders, and sizes, up to the largest and healthiest adult female brown bears that are similar in size to large male tigers. The predation data and scientific information published by the STP biologists (Seryodkin, Miquelle, Kerley, Goodrich, Petrunenko, et al) showed that Amur tigers clearly prefer to hunt and eat healthy adult brown and black bears, instead of young bears.

Biologists have said that Amur tigers even hunt and kill the largest male Asiatic black bears weighing 200 - 250 kg (Kerley, 2011; Aramilev, 2021; Kolchin, 2022).

"Predation was mainly on adult bears (Seryodkin et al., 2018)."

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PM...lt%20bears.

Even according to biologist Tkachenko's experience and observations, who studied and tracked bear-eating tigers in the Khekhtsir reserve, the claws/remains of adult bears were regularly found in tiger scats. Tigers regularly hunted and killed adult black bears of all ages and genders. The remains of brown bears were also found. According to one study conducted by Tkachenko (1996) brown bears made-up 18.5% of the tigers diet.

Tkachenko added that when tigers hunt brown bears, adult male tigers usually hunted large, adult bears. This fact is also backed up by recent accounts.

Now, new scientific field research (2025) conducted by leading tiger expert & biologist Dr. Feng Limin, and multiple research teams, confirms that even Amur tigers from Northeast China, are actively hunting and eating Ussuri brown bears and Asiatic black bears, with bears making up a large significant portion (10%) of the tigers' diet throughout the year.

Amur tigers are not the only subspecies that frequently hunt and kill adult bears, the vast majority of the (countless) cases of Bengal tigers killing and eating sloth bears I've seen and read, have mostly been adult sloth bears killed, including large male bears. Even Indochinese tigers regularly hunt and eat both adult Asiatic black bears and sun bears in Southeast Asia.

Videos and Recent Cases of Tiger Predation on Adult Bears

A large adult male brown bear hunted, killed, and partially eaten by the male tiger Odyr (2022):

"Before he could hibernate, the clubfoot became the prey of the striped master of the taiga, " the report says.

"Moreover, the bear was of impressive size - the width of the callus on its front paw was 18 cm."

"Judging by the tracks, the fight here was serious. The animals fought for a long time, but the tiger still won." - Yuri Kya, chief engineer for forest protection and forestry activities of the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve.

https://www.interfax-russia.ru/far-east/...vskom-krae

A young adult tigress hunting and pursuing a much larger adult male brown bear in Northeast China. Biologist Feng Limin said the tigress was relatively young, and had not yet mastered the skills of hunting brown bears. But this video confirms, that Amur tigers will even hunt much larger brown bears at times.

Note: In this region where this footage was recorded, the Amur tigers are actively hunting and eating brown bears:

To put it into perspective, here's a size comparison. The male brown bear is significantly larger and more massive than the tigress who's pursuing him:

*This image is copyright of its original author

A large adult male black bear pulled out of his den, killed, and eaten by a male Amur tiger (Sergey Kolchin, 2021):

The remains (claw and fur) of an adult black bear in the excrement of a tigress. Biologist Sergey Kolchin said the tigress had killed and eaten the bear: (September, 2021)

*This image is copyright of its original author

Young tiger T-120 (4 years old) hunted and killed a large male sloth bear (Ranthambore, 2023):

*This image is copyright of its original author

Young tiger 'Shankar' easily kills an adult male sloth bear, without ambush, in seconds (2024):

Male tiger kills an adult sloth bear in Bandipur. (2024)

The bear was an adult, confirmed by the eye-witnesses - Arun Kumar and BarnMedia:

https://i.postimg.cc/d0XnsgqP/Screenshot...-45-PM.png

https://i.postimg.cc/dtYJCtC8/Screenshot...-05-PM.png

Indochinese tiger hunted and killed a large Asiatic black bear (2020):

Forest officials in Thailand and WCS officers found the remains of a large Asiatic black bear that was hunted, killed (in a fight) and mostly devoured by a tiger:

"This time let's take a look at the prey of the tiger. From a patrol in the Kaeng Krachan forest area, Patrols and wildlife conservation officers (WCS) in Thailand have found signs of fighting. And found the remains of a large buffalo bear, eaten by a tiger. It can be seen that tigers are strong enough to hunt large dangerous animals such as bears. It is another thing that confirms the integrity of Kaeng Krachan forest as well."

https://www.facebook.com/Kaengkrachannat...nf&__xts__

Remains of the large black bear killed and mostly eaten by the tiger: (In Thailand, Asiatic black bears are commonly called: "Buffalo bears")

*This image is copyright of its original author

Amur tiger electrocuted to death while hunting a large male black bear of similar size: (2024)

*This image is copyright of its original author

“An autopsy of the tiger confirmed that death was due to electric shock. Thus, the first version of what happened was confirmed. The tiger was hunting the bear and drove it onto a support, which collapsed and hit both of them with a high-voltage discharge,” Aramilev said.

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.amur.life/news/2024/05/30/st...-v-primore

https://www.dv.kp.ru/daily/27612/4938471/

https://www.ohotniki.ru/hunting/article/...u-lep.html

Old Myths and Misconceptions Debunked

Some people may assume that because bears are such a large, powerful, and dangerous predator in their own right, then theoretically speaking, tigers should supposedly target only young bears/cubs, hibernating bears, or weakened, sick bears. But there is no shred of evidence supporting this false notion. In fact, the total opposite is true. 

Observations from various biologists, zoologists, naturalists, rangers, and hunters, as well as modern scientific field research consistently shows that Amur tigers primarily hunt bears during summer and autumn (peak seasons), and male tigers in particular, regularly hunt and kill healthy adult bears at full strength. 

The information I've read suggests that tigers will usually kill young bears or cubs, most likely, to eliminate bears, but when hunting bears as prey (food), tigers will usually target bears that will provide more meat to consume over a period of at least several days or more (i.e. adult bears). This is why there's numerous accounts of large brown bears hunted, killed and eaten by tigers.

Add to this, in all recent cases above, tigers hunted adult bears, including some large male bears. The accounts also show that young tigers are able to easily kill adult sloth bears.

Although Amur tigers are well known to habitually hunt bears, however, in Southeast Asia, Indochinese tigers also regularly kill and eat both sun bears and Asiatic black bears, and bear remains are frequently found in tiger scats in those regions. In some areas and regions of Southeast Asia, the percentage of Asiatic black bears in the diet of tigers is significant, up to 10%.

Unlike winter (hibernating season) in Far East Russia and Northeast China, in summer and autumn, bears are very accessible for Amur tigers to hunt, as they actively move through the forest foraging for food (primarily feeding on vegetation, pine nuts, acorns, etc). In some areas, Amur tigers hunt and kill salmon-eating brown bears. 

Renowned Siberian tiger expert and naturalist, Sooyong Park (who spent over 20 years studying, observing, and tracking wild Amur tigers), in his great book: 'The Great Soul of Siberia: In Search of the Elusive Siberian Tiger' wrote:

"In September and October, bears gather along rivers to catch the fish. Tigers also come down to the river during this period for the salmon and the bears, although the bears are the tigers' primary target."

https://www.summerfieldbooks.com/product...n-tiger-2/

Leopards, wolves, and dholes usually pose a risk mainly to young bears or cubs, but the tiger is the only major (and natural) predator of adult bears throughout its range, and is the only extant predator on earth that habitually hunts and kills healthy adult bears for food.

Bears are important seasonal prey for Amur Tigers

*This image is copyright of its original author

Due to the availability of bears during the non-hibernation period (summer and autumn), Amur tigers actively hunt and eat bears, so much so, that the consumption of ungulates decreases and the consumption of bears increases in the tigers diet.

In this peer-reviewed scientific study: 'A Comparison of Food Habits and Prey Preference of Amur Tiger at three sites in the Russian Far East' biologists found that bears (black and brown bears) make-up a large significant portion of the tigers diet in summer. The diet of tigers varied seasonally, with tigers eating more bears than wild boars in the snow-free period:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...n_Far_East

Trophic Ecology of The Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica): New Approaches to Research (2021)

Yuri Petrunenko (Scientific Adviser: Ivan Seryodkin)

Increased tiger predation on bears during the snowless period (summer and autumn) is due to their increased availability after leaving winter shelters, although tigers will also hunt hibernating bears during the winter. 

While Asiatic badgers have a low share in the diet of tigers, bears, being relatively an insignificant component (bears hibernate for 4-5 months in the taiga, making them unavailable for tigers to hunt throughout the year) of the diet of tigers compared to ungulates, are an important seasonal prey (during summer and autumn), due to its large mass:

"The availability of different types of prey for the tiger varies depending on the seasons (Yudin, Yudina, 2009; Rozhnov et al., 2012; Zaitsev et al., 2013); for example bears during winter sleep, as a rule, they are not available for predation (Kostoglod, 1977; Seryodkin et al., 2012; Seryodkin et al., 2018)."

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.dissercat.com/content/trofic...sledovanii


In summer and autumn (snow-less period), both black and brown bears make-up a significant portion of the Amur tigers diet:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://neaspec.org/sites/default/files/...%9D%B4.pdf

According to studies in the Sikhote Alin Reserve and surrounding environs, tigers primarily hunted bears in the fall. The percentage of bears in the tiger's diet is significant in the non-hibernation period. This is due to active predation on bears:

Their field studies showed that bears are of great importance in the diet of tigers, second only to wild boar and red deer.

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10afDwfy...mmvOz/view

Conclusion:

The opinion that Amur tigers mainly hunt "hibernating" bears and mostly prey on "young bears" or "cubs" is a total myth and false notion that's been clearly debunked by plenty of modern scientific field research, studies, and recent accounts. Amur tigers actively (and mainly) hunt healthy adult bears in summer and autumn (snowless period). Bears are one of the Amur tigers favorite prey items and are an important seasonal prey due to their large mass and availability during the non-hibernation period.

Numerous evidence, accounts, and expert testimonies confirm that tigers prey on large bears of similar size, and heavier bears too.

Amur tigers are not the only subspecies that are specialized bear-killers, Indochinese tigers also regularly hunt and eat bears, and in some areas of India, Bengal tigers often hunt and eat sloth bears. There are also multiple confirmed cases of Bengal tigers who were (and are) habitual sloth bear killers. Sumatran and Malayan tigers also hunt and eat bears. But, overall, among all tiger subspecies, the Amur tiger is definitely the most aggressive and violent towards bears, and is the most active bear hunter.

All in all, when looking at the relationship between tigers and bears in Russia, Northeast China, India, and Southeast Asia, its very clear, that as a species, the tiger is a major predator of bears. And wherever these two large predators ranges overlap, there's a clear predator-prey relationship.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[peter]

APEX

Yet another long, well-prepared and interesting post about tigers and bears in the Russian Far East. Must have taken quite a bit of time. Effort much appreciated! 

I assume you're aware of the video about interactions between tigers and bears in the Russian Far East recently uploaded on YouTube by Prof. S. Wroe? I made a few notes and will discuss it in some time: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mcKIpZW9qs

In his video, Prof. Wroe discusses three issues also often discussed at forums: size, bite force and reliable reports about the outcome of interactions. 

Although the info on size seems a bit outdated (he uses information collected in the period 1992-2002 or thereabout), it's reliable. 

Most adult male Amur tigers today, depending on their condition and the season, range between 360-442 pounds (163,3-200,5 kg). Both Batalov and Fomenko said a male exceeding that mark (442 pounds or 200,5 kg) is large in most districts. Adult male Ussuri brown bears, depending on the district and the season, average 575-595 pounds (260,8-269,8 kg). 

Individuals well exceeding these markers (referring to both species) have been weighed, but they're few. For now, it's safe to assume an exceptional wild male Amur tiger can reach 270 kg (596 pounds, Feng Limin), whereas an exceptional male Ussuri brown bear can reach 362,88 kg (800 pounds, WCS).

According to Wroe, who knows a few things about bones, the bite force of tigers exceeds that of brown bears by about 20%. The percentage, as Warsaw stated, is questionable, but it isn't about the details. What Wroe is saying is tigers, biteforcewise, have an advantage. That's still without the canines. If we add speed and agility, one could conclude an average adult male Amur tiger roughly compares to a larger male brown bear in most respects. Tigers and brown bears seem to agree. The result is mutual avoidance. 

Some male bears follow and rob tigers, but they tend to select females (with cubs) and, perhaps, (young and/or old) males with problems. And the other way round: experienced male tigers interested in bears, as you stated, tend to select female brown bears up to about their own size (weight). The recent incidents discussed in this thread strongly suggest male brown bears are sometimes hunted as well. All in all, one could conclude Amur tigers are quite prolific bear hunters, not the other way round. Russian biologists did find overwhelming evidence of tigers killed by brown bears, but not in the period 1992-2025.        

Prof. Wroe's video didn't go unnoticed. I recently visited 'Domain of the Bears' and 'Carnivora' and noticed Warsaw is preparing for battle. You can have a go at prof. Wroe's video if you like, but when you post about it in this thread make sure you focus on information, not something else.   

At the moment, I'm investing most of my energy in skulls and conflicts (between man and tiger). I recently found a video in which a young adult male features. He was shot (by poachers) and, most unfortunately, perished. Another male, adult but still quite young (referring to the teeth), was injured in a fight. He needed medical assistence and was sent to rehab. Reply