Russian Brown Bears

[brotherbear]

From my book, ‘Land of the Bear’ by Denny Geurink: There are several reasons why there are so many brown bears in Russia. First, the habitat is perfect for them. The country is covered with dense forests and wilderness areas flush with the perfect bear foods, from the salmon-rich Kamchatka Peninsula to the pine nut rich forests of Siberia. Secondly, the human population in Russia is very widespread. Once you get outside the major cities, the population is very rural. Thirdly, after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1912, guns and hunting disappeared from Russia. This allowed bear populations to explode. While this is good for the bear, it wasn’t always so good for the rural Russian population.
With so many bears in Russia, and so many remote villages located in bear habitat, its no wonder that there are five times as many people killed by bears in Russia as there are in the United States. Studies show that, on average, there are two recorded fatal bear attacks a year in the United States; there are at least 10 fatal attacks a year in Russia. A lot more people are attacked and not killed. In years there is a poor salmon run or pine nut crop, these numbers can double.
There are documented cases in Eastern Siberia where some bears have become man-eaters during times when natural foods are scarce. At least two bears in this region have been identified as killing and eating 12 people each. Reply