Ministry of Ecology: the brown bear population is growing in the Moscow region

Specialists of the non-profit organization "Environmental Fund "Verkhovye", who, by order of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, monitor rare and endangered species listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region, have recorded an increase in the number of brown bears.

Currently, about 15 bears permanently live in the Moscow region. Most of them roam in the west and north of the region. Dens and females with cubs, young individuals were found in the west of the Mozhaisky and Shakhovsky urban districts (a case of a young bear entering directly into Shakhovskaya is known), in the north of the Sergiev Posad district, the Taldomsky urban district and the Klin urban district, the press service of the Ministry of Ecology reports with reference to head of the department Alexander Kogan.

An important role in the conservation of animals of this species is played by the national park "State Complex "Zavidovo", where at least 4-5 animals constantly live. Single visits of bears were noted in the north-east of Shatura. Even in the south of the region, in the urban district of Serebryanye Prudy, a den was found that was used at least two to three years.

The southern border of the species' range in European Russia lies within the Moscow region. The bear lived everywhere in the region until the end of the 18th century, but already in the 19th century. as a result of intensive hunting it became very rare, and in the 1920s it disappeared from the last habitats.

In the Moscow region, bear hunting has been prohibited since the middle of the last century. Only in the 1970s did the species again begin to periodically appear in the north of the Moscow region. Since the 1980-1990s, against the backdrop of a general increase in numbers in the center of European Russia, the bear again became a permanent inhabitant of the Moscow region. The number of bears in the Moscow region depends to a very large extent on the population density of neighboring regions. In the last decade, the number of bears in the Tver region has increased to 3,000 individuals, in the Yaroslavl region - to 650, in the Smolensk region - about 500 individuals.

Bears or fresh traces of their presence are more common. Thus, scientists and volunteers conducting monitoring in the vicinity of the Zhuravlinaya Rodina nature reserve (Taldom urban district) recorded more than 10 encounters with bears of different ages in 2017-2018 alone.

Let us remind you that less than a month ago, brown bears in Russia acquired an influential “roof”. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation spoke out in defense of their population. Intelligence officers proposed recognizing clubfoot as a strategically important resource .