A well-known beast distributed almost throughout the northern hemisphere, a symbol of power, strength, the hero of many fairy tales and legends.
Systematics
Latin name– Ursus arctos
English title– brown bear
Squad - Predatory (Carnivora)
Family – Bear (Ursidae)
Genus - bears (Ursus)
The status of the species in nature
The brown bear is currently not threatened with extinction, with the exception of some subspecies that live in Western Europe and southern North America. In these places, animals are protected by law. Where the animal is numerous, limited hunting is allowed.
View and person
For a long time, the bear has occupied the imagination of people. Because of the way it often rises on its hind legs, the bear, more than any other animal, looks like a person. "The owner of the forest" - this is how he is usually called. The bear is a character in many fairy tales, many sayings and proverbs have been composed about him. In them, most often, this beast appears as a good-natured bumpkin, a slightly stupid strong man, ready to protect the weak. The respectful and condescending attitude towards this beast is evident from folk names: "Mikhailo Potapych", "Toptygin", "clubfoot" .... Comparison of a man himself with a bear can be both flattering for him ("strong like a bear") and derogatory ("clumsy like a bear").
The bear is very common as a coat of arms, it is a symbol of strength, cunning and ferocity in the defense of the fatherland. Therefore, it is depicted on the emblems of many cities: Perm, Berlin, Bern, Yekaterinburg, Novgorod, Norilsk, Syktyvkar, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yaroslavl and others.
Distribution area and habitats
The distribution area of the brown bear is very extensive, covering the entire forest and forest-tundra zones of Eurasia and North America, in the north it extends to the border of forests, in the south along the mountainous regions it reaches Asia Minor and Western Asia, Tibet, and Korea. At present, the range of the species, once continuous, has been significantly reduced to more or less large fragments. The beast disappeared on the Japanese Islands, in the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, in most of the Iranian Plateau, in the vast Central Plain in North America. In Western and Central Europe, this species has remained only in small mountainous areas. On the territory of Russia, the distribution area has changed to a lesser extent, as before, the animal is quite common in the forests of Siberia and the Far East, in the Russian North.
The brown bear is a typical forest dweller. Most often, it is found in vast taiga massifs, abounding in windbreak, moss swamps and dissected by rivers, and in the mountains - by gorges. The animal gives preference to forests with dark coniferous species - spruce, fir, cedar. In the mountains he lives among deciduous forests, or in junipers.
Appearance and morphology
The brown bear is a very large massive animal, one of the largest land predators. Within the family, the brown bear is second in size only to the white. The largest of brown bears live in Alaska, they are called Kodiaks, the body length of Kodiaks reaches 250 cm, the height at the withers is 130 cm, and the weight is up to 750 kg. The bears that live in Kamchatka are only slightly inferior to them in size. In central Russia, the weight of "typical" bears is 250-300 kg.
The brown bear is complex as a whole in proportion, a massive appearance is given to it by thick fur and slowness of movements. The head of this beast is heavy, lobed, not as elongated as that of the white one. The lips, like the nose, are black, the eyes are small, deep-set. The tail is very short, completely hidden in the fur. The claws are long, up to 10 cm, especially on the front paws, but slightly curved. The fur is very thick and long, especially in animals living in the northern part of the range. The coloration is usually brown, but in different animals it can vary from almost black to straw yellow.
Of the sense organs of a brown bear, the sense of smell is best developed, hearing is weaker, and vision is poor, so that the beast is almost not guided by it.
Lifestyle and social organization
Brown bears, unlike whites, are mostly sedentary. EachAn individual site occupied by one animal can be very extensive, and cover an area of up to several hundred square meters. km. The boundaries of the plots are poorly marked, and in very rugged terrain they are practically absent. The areas of males and females overlap. Within the site there are places where the animal usually feeds, where it finds temporary shelters or lies in a den.
In places where bears live permanently, their regular movements around the site are marked by well-marked trails. They look like human paths, only in contrast to them, along the bear paths, shreds of bear hair often hang on the branches, and bear marks remain on the trunks of especially conspicuous trees - bites with teeth and bark, peeled off by claws at the height that the beast can reach. Such marks show other bears that the area is occupied. Paths connect the places where the bear is guaranteed to find food. Bears lay them in the most convenient places, choosing the shortest distance between objects that are significant to them.
The sedentary lifestyle does not prevent the bear from making seasonal migrations to places where this moment food is more accessible. In lean years, a bear is able to travel 200-300 km in search of forage. In the flat taiga, for example, the animals spend the summer in glades overgrown with tall grass, in early autumn they are drawn to the swamps, where they are attracted by ripe cranberries. In the mountainous regions of Siberia, at the same time, they move to the zone of loaches, where they find an abundance of pine nuts and lingonberries. On the Pacific coast, during the mass movement of red fish, animals from afar come to the mouths of the rivers.
A characteristic feature of the brown bear, which is characteristic of both males and females, is winter sleep in a den. Lairs are located in the most secluded places: on small islands among moss swamps, among windbreaks or dense undergrowth. Bears arrange them most often under eversion and decks, under the roots of large cedars and firs. In mountainous areas, earthen lairs prevail, which are located in rock crevices, shallow caves, and depressions under stones. From the inside, the lair is arranged very carefully - the animal lines the bottom with moss, branches with needles, bunches of dry grass. Where there are few suitable places for wintering, dens used for many years in a row form real “bear towns”: for example, in Altai, 26 dens were found on a 10 km long stretch.
In different places, bears sleep in winter from 2.5 to 6 months. In warm regions, with a plentiful harvest of nuts, bears do not lie in a den for the whole winter, but only from time to time, under adverse conditions, fall asleep for several days. Bears sleep alone, only females who have cubs of the year go to bed with their cubs. During sleep, if the beast is disturbed, it easily wakes up. Often the bear itself leaves the den during long thaws, returning to it at the slightest cold snap.
Feeding and feeding behavior
The brown bear is a real omnivore, eating more vegetable than animal feed. The hardest thing to feed a bear in early spring when plant foods are completely inadequate. At this time of the year, he hunts large ungulates, eats carrion. Then he digs up anthills, extracting larvae and the ants themselves. From the beginning of the appearance of greenery and until the mass ripening of various berries, the bear most time fattening on "bear pastures" - forest clearings and meadows, eating umbrella plants (hogweed, angelica), sow thistle, wild garlic. From the second half of summer, when berries begin to ripen, throughout the forest zone, bears switch to eating them: first blueberries, raspberries, blueberries, honeysuckle, later lingonberries, cranberries. The autumn period, the most important for preparing for winter, is the time of eating the fruits of trees. In the middle lane, these are acorns, hazelnuts, in the taiga - pine nuts, in mountain southern forests- wild apples, pears, cherries, mulberries. The bear's favorite food in early autumn is ripening oats.
Eating grass in the meadow, the bear peacefully "grazes" for hours, like a cow or a horse, or collects the stems he likes with his front paws and puts them in his mouth. Climbing fruit-bearing trees, this sweet tooth breaks off branches, eating fruits on the spot, or throws them down, sometimes just shakes the crown. Less dexterous animals graze under the trees, picking up fallen fruits.
The brown bear willingly digs in the ground, extracting succulent rhizomes and soil invertebrates, turns over stones, extracting and eating worms, beetles and other living creatures from under them.
Bears living along the rivers off the Pacific coast are avid anglers. During the course of the red fish, they gather in dozens at the riffles. While fishing, the bear goes belly-deep into the water and with a strong quick blow of the front paw throws a fish that has swum close to the shore.
Large ungulates - deer, elk - the bear hides, completely silently approaching the victim from the leeward side. Roe deer sometimes lie in wait in ambush along trails or at a watering hole. His attack is swift and almost irresistible.
Reproduction and rearing of offspring
The mating season for bears begins in May-June. At this time, males chase females, roar, fight fiercely, sometimes with a fatal outcome. At this time they are aggressive and dangerous. The formed pair walks together for about a month, and if a new applicant appears, he is driven away not only by the male, but also by the female.
The cubs (usually 2) are born in the den in January, weighing only about 500 g, covered with sparse fur, with their eyes and ears closed. Ear openings in cubs are outlined by the end of the second week, after another 2 weeks their eyes open. All their first 2 months of life, they lie at their mother's side, moving very little. The bear's sleep is not deep, because she needs to take care of the cubs. By the time they leave the den, the cubs reach the size of a small dog, weighing from 3 to 7 kg. Milk feeding lasts up to six months, but already at the age of 3 months, young animals begin to gradually master plant foods, imitating their mother.
The entire first year of life, the cubs stay with their mother, spending another winter with her in the den. At the age of 3-4 years, young bears become sexually mature, but they reach full bloom only at the age of 8-10 years.
Lifespan
In nature, for about 30 years, in captivity they live up to 45-50 years.
Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo
Brown bears have been kept in the zoo since the year of its foundation - 1864. Until recently, they lived on the "Island of Animals" (New Territory) and in the Children's Zoo. In the early 90s, a bear from a children's zoo was brought as a gift to the first president of Russia, B.N. Yeltsin, by the governor of Primorsky Krai. The President prudently did not keep "this little animal" at home, but handed it over to the zoo. When the first reconstruction was going on, the bear temporarily left Moscow, visited another zoo, and then returned. Now the second reconstruction is underway, and the bear again left Moscow, this time to the Veliky Ustyug Zoo, where he will live permanently.
Currently, there is one brown bear in the zoo, which lives on the "Island of animals". This is an elderly female of the Kamchatka subspecies, a classic brown color, very large. All winter she sleeps soundly in her lair, despite the noisy life of the metropolis. People help to equip the winter "apartment": the bottom of the "lair" is lined with coniferous branches, on top - a hay feather bed. Before falling asleep, both in nature and in the zoo, bears eat needles - a bactericidal plug is formed in the intestines. It is not the noise that can wake up the animals, but the prolonged warming, as happened in the winter of 2006-2007.
Brown bears endure captivity conditions well, but, of course, they get bored, because in nature they spend most of their time looking for and getting food, which they don’t have to do in a zoo. Mandatory attributes in a bear enclosure are tree trunks. The bears tear them with their claws, leaving their marks, they try to look for food under the bark and in the wood, and finally, they play with small logs. And out of boredom, bears begin to interact with visitors. For example, our she-bear sits on her hind legs, and starts waving her front legs to people. Everyone around rejoices and throws a wide variety of objects into her aviary, most often food. Something thrown is eaten, something is simply sniffed - the animal is full. Scientists believe that in this way the bear not only begs for food or makes its environment more diverse, it begins to control the behavior of visitors: waved - they gave a tasty treat. This relieves the stress of keeping in a small enclosure and living according to a certain routine. But still there is no need to feed the animals in the zoo - their diets are balanced, and much of what we eat is harmful to them.
Very often in the spring and in the first half of summer, phone calls are heard in the zoo - people want to attach cubs found in the forest. We urge everyone who saw a bear cub in the forest - do not take it! The mother is most likely somewhere nearby, she can stand up for her cub, and this is very dangerous for you! The baby could be driven away by an adult male caring for the bear, but you never know what reasons, except for the death of the bear, could lead the bear cub to people. A bear that has fallen to a person is doomed to be killed, or to spend life in captivity. A bear cub left alone in the forest at the age of 5-6 months (July-August) has a very good chance to survive and live free. Don't deprive him of this chance!
Where all the animal advocates are looking, this is a real concentration camp
Malayan bears are the smallest species among this family! Their dimensions rarely go beyond the scope of an adult! The length of the average individual is only one and a half meters! Their coat is very short and coarse, and there is a frilly semicircle on the chest! If you look at them carefully, we can conclude that the bears are very well-fed and very "dense"!
Here, for example, healthy Malayan bears look like this
All this so that you can understand in what neglected state the heroes of our further story are ...
These poor Malay bears live in an Indonesian zoo that has hundreds if not thousands of visitors every day! And every time they look at the guests with pity and ask for at least some food! Just look at his stance, the poor kid has clearly visible ribs! And even the water in the enclosure is muddy and incredibly dirty, and the conditions in general leave much to be desired! It was also previously reported that an elephant died in the same private zoo for unknown reasons. Many people have already written complaints about this zoo to various authorities, but no response has been received ...
Apparently, someone very influential makes money on the suffering of these animals. Finally, serious news channels have recently taken up this zoo, perhaps the worldwide “fame” will still be able to influence the owners of this concentration camp ...
Terrible brown bears are the majestic guardians of the forests. This beautiful animal is considered a symbol of Russia, although its numerous habitats can be found in all corners of our planet. Since the brown bear is under the threat of complete extinction, it is listed in the Red Book. Basically, this animal lives in Russia, the USA and Canada. Not a large number of bears survived in Europe and Asia. The lifestyle of this important "master of the taiga" is very interesting. How long does a brown bear live? What weight can it reach? Most Interesting Facts we will tell about the life of the brown clubfoot in this article. Brown bear: description appearance This animal is very strong. The powerful body is covered thick hair, and the withers are clearly distinguished on the back. It has accumulated a large number of muscles that allow the bear to inflict crushing blows with its paws, cut down trees or dig the ground. His head is very large, with small ears and small, deep-set eyes. The tail of bears is short - about 2 cm, barely noticeable under a layer of wool. The paws are very strong, with large curved claws reaching a length of 10 cm. When walking, the bear evenly transfers the weight of the body to the entire sole, like a person, and therefore it belongs to the species of plantigrade animals. The coat of the famous "master of the taiga" is very beautiful - thick, evenly colored. Brown bears have a tendency to molt - in spring and autumn they renew their fur coat. The first change of coat occurs immediately after hibernation and is very intense. Its manifestations are especially noticeable during the rut. Autumn molting proceeds slowly and continues until hibernation. How long does a brown bear live? The life expectancy of a clubfoot depends on its habitat. In conditions wildlife a brown bear can reach an age of 20 to 35 years. If the animal is kept in a zoo, this figure almost doubles. In captivity, a bear can live up to 50 years. The onset of puberty occurs between the ages of 6 and 11 years. The size and weight of the animal The standard length of the torso of a clubfoot predator ranges from one to two meters. The largest bears live in Alaska, Kamchatka and Far East. These are grizzlies, true giants, whose growth when standing on their hind legs reaches three meters. Maximum weight bear (brown) can be 600 kg. These are real heavyweight giants. The average weight of an adult male is at the level of 140-400 kg, and the weight of a female is 90-210 kg. The largest male was found on Kodiak Island. His body weight was enormous - 1134 kg. However, animals living in central Russia weigh much less - about 100 kg. By autumn, this animal accumulates a large fat reserve for the upcoming hibernation, and therefore the weight of the bear (brown) increases by 20%. Habitats Bears mostly live in dense forest areas , in swampy areas. Often they can be seen in the tundra or alpine forests. In Russia, this animal occupies remote northern regions. Brown bears are very common in Siberia. The calm forests of the taiga allow clubfoot to feel spacious and free, and nothing prevents their existence here. In the USA, bears live mainly in open areas - on the coasts, alpine meadows. In Europe, they mainly live in dense mountain forests. In Asia, brown bear populations can also be found. Their range covers small areas of Palestine, Iran, northern China and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. What do bears eat? Omnivorousness and endurance are the main qualities that help the beast survive in difficult conditions. In the diet of a brown bear, 75% is plant food. The clubfoot can eat tubers, nuts, berries, grass stalks, roots, and acorns. If this is not enough, the bear can go to the crops of oats or corn, feed in cedar forests. Large individuals have remarkable strength and prey on small young animals. With just one blow of a huge paw, a bear can break the spine of an elk or deer. He hunts roe deer, wild boars, fallow deer, mountain goats. Without problems, brown bears can eat rodents, larvae, ants, frogs, worms and lizards. Skillful fishermen and camouflage bears often feed on carrion. The clubfoot skillfully covers the found remains of animals with brushwood and tries to stay nearby until it completely eats its “find”. If the bear has eaten recently, it may wait a few days. After a while, the meat of the killed animal will become softer, and he will eat it with pleasure. The most amazing occupation of bears is catching fish. They go to the Far Eastern spawning rivers, where salmon massively accumulate. Especially often she-bears with their offspring hunt here. The mother skillfully catches the salmon and takes it to her cubs. At the same time, up to 30 bears can be seen on the river, which often fight for prey. Behavior The bear has a very developed sense of smell. He clearly feels the smell of decomposed meat, even being at a distance of 3 km from him. His hearing is also very well developed. Sometimes the bear stands up on its hind legs to listen for a sound or feel the direction of the smell of food. How does a bear behave in nature? The brown "master of the taiga" begins to bypass his possessions at dusk or early in the morning. In bad weather or during rainy periods, he can wander through the forest all day long in search of food. Speed and agility are the distinguishing qualities of the beast At first glance, this huge animal seems very clumsy and slow. But it's not. The big brown bear is very agile and easy to move around. In pursuit of the victim, he can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h. The bear is also an excellent swimmer. He can easily cover a distance of 6-10 km on water and swims with pleasure on hot summer days. Young bears nimbly climb trees. With age, this ability becomes a little dull, but does not disappear. However, deep snow is a difficult test for them, since the bear moves through it with great difficulty. Breeding period Having regained strength after a long sleep, brown bears are ready for mating. The rut begins in the spring, in May, and lasts about a month. Females announce their readiness for mating with a special secret that has a strong odor. According to these marks, males find their chosen ones and protect them from rivals. Sometimes fierce battles arise between two bears for a female, in which the fate, and sometimes the life of one of them, is decided. In the event of the death of one of the males, the winner can even eat it. During the mating season, bears are very dangerous. They make a wild roar and can attack a person. Reproduction Exactly after 6-8 months, cubs are born in the den. Usually the female brings 2-4 cubs, completely bald, with underdeveloped organs of hearing and vision. However, after a month, the cubs' eyes open, and the ability to pick up sounds appears. Immediately after birth, the cubs weigh about 500 g, and their length reaches 25 cm. By 3 months, all the milk teeth erupt in the cubs. Babies feed on their mother's milk for the first 6 months of their lives. Then berries, insects, greens are added to their diet. Later, the mother brings them fish or her prey. For about 2 years, babies live with their mother, learn habits, the subtleties of hunting, and hibernate with her. The independent life of a young bear begins at the age of 3-4 years. The father bear never takes part in the upbringing of the offspring. Lifestyle The brown bear is a fickle animal. In one place he eats, in another he sleeps, and for mating he can move away from his usual habitat for several kilometers. The young bear roams the area until he starts a family. The brown master marks his possessions. He alone can hunt here. He marks the borders in a special way, tearing the bark from the trees. In areas without plantings, a bear can peel off objects that are in its field of vision - stones, slopes. In summer, he can rest carelessly in open glades, lying down directly on the ground. The main thing is that this place is secluded and safe for the bear. Why a rod? Before hibernation, the bear must gain the required amount of fat reserves. If it is not enough, the animal has to wander further in search of food. From this came the name - connecting rod. Moving in the cold season, the bear is doomed to death from frost, hunger or a hunter's gun. However, in winter you can meet not only connecting rod. Often a bear's sleep can simply be disturbed by humans. Then this well-fed beast is forced to seek a new shelter in order to again plunge into hibernation. Finding a lair The bear chooses this winter haven with particular care. For lairs, reliable calm places are chosen, located on the borders of swamps, in windbreaks, on the banks of rivers, in secluded caves. The shelter should be dry, warm, spacious and safe. The bear equips its den with moss, laying out a soft bedding from it. The shelter is masked and insulated with tree branches. Very often a bear has been using a good den for several years. The life of brown bears is to search for food, especially before hibernation. Before falling asleep, the beast diligently confuses its tracks: it walks through the swamps, winds and even steps backwards. Quiet and peaceful rest Bears sleep in a cozy den throughout the long frosty winter. Old males leave their shelter before anyone else. The she-bear with her offspring stays in the den longer than the others. Hibernation of brown bears lasts 5-6 months. It usually starts in October and ends in April. Bears do not go into deep sleep. They remain sensitive and vital, they are easily disturbed. The body temperature of a bear during sleep is in the range of 29-34 degrees. During hibernation, little energy is consumed, and the clubfoot has enough of its fat reserve, acquired during active time. During winter holiday the bear loses about 80 kg of its weight. Features of wintering All winter the bear sleeps on its side, comfortably curled up. Less common are postures on the back or sitting, with the head down. Breathing and heart rate slow down during sleep. Surprisingly, this animal does not defecate during winter sleep. All waste products in the body of a bear are re-processed and converted into valuable proteins necessary for its existence. The rectum is closed by a dense cork, consisting of needles, compressed grass and wool. It is removed after the animal leaves the den. Does the bear suck its paw? Many naively believe that during hibernation the clubfoot extracts valuable vitamins from their limbs. But it's not. The fact is that in January there is a renewal of the skin on the paw pads of a bear. Old dry skin bursts and gives him severe discomfort. To somehow moderate this itching, the bear licks its paw, moisturizing and softening it with its saliva. Dangerous and strong animal The bear is first of all a predator, powerful and terrible. A chance meeting with this angry beast will not bring anything good. Spring rut, winter search for a new shelter - during these periods, the brown bear is most dangerous. Descriptions or photographs of animals that live in nurseries and are friendly to people should not deceive you - they grew up there in completely different conditions. In nature, a seemingly calm beast can be cruel and easily blow your head off. Especially if you wandered into his territory. Females with offspring should also be avoided. The mother is driven by instincts and aggression, so it is better not to get in her way. Of course, the behavior of a clubfoot depends on the situation and time of year. Often the bears themselves run away when they see a person in the distance. But do not think that since this beast can eat berries and honey, this is his favorite food. The best food for a bear is meat, and he will never miss an opportunity to get it. Why clubfoot? This nickname has firmly stuck to the bear. And all from the fact that when walking, he steps alternately on the right and left paws. Therefore, from the side it seems that the bear is clubfoot. But this slowness and clumsiness is deceptive. In the event of a dangerous situation, this beast instantly gallops and easily overtakes a person. The peculiarity of the structure of the front and hind legs allows him to show unprecedented agility when climbing uphill. He conquers peaks much faster than he descends from them. It took more than one millennium to form such a complex system of habitat and life of this amazing animal. As a result, brown bears have gained the ability to survive in areas where severe climatic conditions. Nature is amazing, and one can only admire her wisdom and immutable laws that put everything in its place.
Umka seems big and formidable, because he is a polar bear. But at heart he is a real good man. Umka - real star our zoo. Kind, friendly and affectionate, he reaches out to people and is always happy to see the company of spectators. After all, the big northern bear has a big and warm heart.
Polar bears are very beautiful, smart and resourceful animals. Therefore, watching them, you can learn a lot of interesting things and get only aesthetic pleasure, because they are also very cute. Our project offers to see how a bear in a zoo lives online in its natural environment, what it eats, how it organizes its everyday life. It is interesting to know that bears give birth to babies on land, but these beautiful animals spend most of their lives in the water. Despite their origin from brown bears, these animals have developed special abilities that help them survive in extreme cold and water. By the way, despite the fact that both bears are considered different types, they can still breed with each other and produce offspring even in captivity. Moreover, the cubs will be viable and healthy.
This kind of bears are the biggest predators because they have:
- weight up to 700 kg;
- sizes up to 3 meters in length.
Animals are extremely resilient. For example, they not only swim well, but are also able to stay in the water for up to three days. There was even a case recorded when a white male swam for nine whole days. Such individuals swim at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour, and on land they are able to run a distance, accelerating up to 40 kilometers per hour.
These beautiful wildlife give birth to very cute babies that are smaller than human babies. But, unlike humans, cubs quickly learn the basic rules of survival. For example, they lie motionless for hours so as not to interfere with their mother catching prey.
Polar bears: live cameras
Video broadcast from the zoo, which can be viewed on our website, will help you learn a lot of interesting things about the life of these animals. And everyone can also feed their pets. To do this, they just need to replenish their wallet with nuts and watch the zookeeper feed the animal. Join the project and get closer to our smaller brothers.
Moscow Zoo is one of the largest petting zoos in Russia. The difference between such a zoo and the usual one is that visitors have the opportunity to communicate with animals directly, without glasses and cages. Here you can feed the animal, touch it, pick it up.
Animals collected from all corners of our Planet live in the Petting Zoo "Zveryushki". Flower bear, ring-tailed lemur, alpaca llama, kangaroo, Gverets monkey, nosoha raccoon, funny parrots, python, monitor lizard, spiders, rabbits, guinea pigs, Canadian fox, mini pigs - more than twenty species of exotic animals in total.
All animals, before getting to the zoo, undergo a gradual adaptation. They are not wild, because right from birth they are accustomed to human hands, and therefore they are quite tame and friendly to all visitors.
All pets of the zoo are under constant veterinary supervision, and have all vaccinations and the necessary certificates. Communication with animals takes place under the supervision of experienced caretakers - veterinarians or livestock specialists by education. They will tell you what to feed the exotic representatives of the fauna, and how to ensure their care so that the contact is as warm and comfortable as possible for both the visitor and the pet.
Contact zoo "Zveryushki" It's not only interesting and funny. Close contact with animals not only develops a child's moral and aesthetic education, but also has a positive effect on the psyche. This technique is called "animal therapy" or "pet therapy" (from the English. Pet - pet). One visit to the petting zoo is equivalent to two or three visits to a child psychologist. This is especially true for children with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and Down syndrome. In the process of communicating with animals, children open up, become calmer, begin to perceive the world around them as a friendly environment and learn to protect nature.
More than half of the collection of polar bears in Russian zoos are animals that came from nature. The other half are the offspring of pairs of polar bears, formed in zoos from wild individuals and (or) already born from them in captivity.
In the wild, for various reasons, including natural ones, cubs are left unattended by their mothers and, unfortunately, their continued existence in the tundra is under threat.
According to experts, 10-15 bear cubs die every year when they leave their natural habitats. But not all cubs are waiting for such a sad outcome.
At the end of September 2018, the Administration of the urban settlement of Dikson applied to the Office of Rosprirodnadzor Krasnoyarsk Territory and to the leadership of the Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna "" with a request for assistance. A young polar bear appeared in the village. All measures to scare the animal did not bring the expected results. The bear cub returned to the village, ate in landfills, there were times when he spent the night under the houses (in the village of Dikson, almost all houses are built on piles due to permafrost).
Dikson is the northernmost settlement of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. There, beyond the Arctic Circle, courageous people have been living and working for many years. In addition to harsh living conditions, hurricane winds and frosts, every year the northerners have a chance to meet with a polar bear. Bears willingly visit places of residence and human activities. Some are drawn here by curiosity, others by hunger. Particularly attractive are landfills with food waste, which, unfortunately, are located near polar stations, expedition bases, mines, and settlements on the coast.
The bear cub from Dikson was probably left without a mother. The female polar bear takes care of her cubs for the first two years, teaching them how to get food, how to avoid danger, what to do in a snowstorm. They will no longer lie in a lair, but will all year round roam the expanses of the Arctic. Only in the third year of life, in the spring, the cubs leave their mother and begin an independent life. Such young animals are already almost as tall as their mother, but there is still little life experience. Like human teenagers, they tend to be careless. Therefore, even teenage bears up to 3 years old often get into trouble, come to villages and end up in "criminal chronicles".
photo by Sofia Rosenfeld
Well, what if it suddenly happens that a bear cub, not yet trained in the basics of survival, hunting, life in ice, remains an orphan? The chances of survival for an untrained animal to forage are extremely small. It was such a bear cub, already quite large, that nailed to the village, finding for itself the opportunity to survive, scrambling through the dumps.
Possible scenarios for the development of such a "neighborhood" are predictable, it is highly likely that people or animals will suffer. There is no way to return the rescued baby to the wild because he does not have the necessary behavior skills in his natural habitat. In this regard, only the zoo can become the only home for such animals.
Specialists of the Krasnoyarsk Zoo "Roev Ruchey" have extensive experience in saving and keeping polar bears. In particular, in 2006, a white bear cub Felix was rescued and successfully settled down in Krasnoyarsk from Wrangel Island. Four years later, two bear cubs were brought from the Taimyr Peninsula - females Aurora and Victoria, who got a chance to survive thanks to the zoo.
Thanks to the Program for the Guardianship of Polar Bears in all zoos in Russia, which, as a responsible nature user, has been implementing since 2015 by the Oil Company "", the cause of rescuing foundling bear cubs has received serious support. Within the framework of this Program, polar bears are kept in all zoos in Russia, scientific research and monitoring of polar bear populations in their natural habitat are carried out. A separate area of activity was the development of a project to save endangered polar bear cubs.
An active participant in this project was the Park "", the closest to the habitats of the northern giants.
On October 1, 2018, documents were sent to the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources on the approval of the procedure for removing the polar bear cub from its natural habitat, followed by overexposure and rehabilitation in the Krasnoyarsk Zoo Roev Ruchey.
On October 10, 2018, experienced employees of the Krasnoyarsk Zoo "Roev Ruchey" flew to the village of Dikson to catch, transport and temporarily keep a bear cub in Krasnoyarsk.
This group of professionals, consisting of zoo specialists and hunters from the Krasnoyarsk Environmental Protection Agency, together with the local services of Dikson, carried out a whole rescue operation to capture and transport this dangerous predator, despite its young age.
ANO "Society of Wild Nature" together with the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after. A.N. Severtsova Russian Academy Sci.
It was possible to ensure that all necessary measures to rescue the bear cub were carried out thanks to the support of PJSC "NK "".
With the prompt assistance of airlines "" and "" on October 16, the bear cub was sent under the supervision of a veterinarian and a zoologist and delivered "to the mainland", first to Norilsk, and on the same day the bear cub arrived in Krasnoyarsk.
Currently, the polar bear is undergoing rehabilitation at the Krasnoyarsk Zoo "Roev Ruchey", he was placed in quarantine, where he is closely monitored by veterinarians. After carrying out all the necessary measures to study his health and his rehabilitation, a decision can be made about his future fate.
Given that this is not the first time uninvited guests have appeared in Dixon
ANO "Society for the Preservation and Study of Wildlife" and the Krasnoyarsk Zoo "Roev Ruchey", based on the results of the operation to rescue the bear cub, decided to create a point for rescuing cubs in Dikson, equipped with special boxes for catching and overexposure of babies, food supplies and necessary medicines.
The rescue of the polar bear cub became possible thanks to the coordinated actions of many organizations - the Krasnoyarsk Flora and Fauna Park "Roev Ruchey", the Administration of the city of Krasnoyarsk and authorized state authorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, ANO "Society for the Preservation and Study of Wildlife" and others.
A source: materials of the ANO "Wildlife Society" and the Park "", video
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