1 The bear is injured
2 A female has cubs
3 In self defence
Some Interesting basic facts of the Bulgarian Brown bear are as follows: Its latin
name is Ursas Arctos, and they can grow up to 2.5 metres long and weigh up to
250kg, they can climb, swim and run. After eating fruit, berries and grasses and
beehives or stray cattle during the summer months, they hibernate throughout the
winter in sheltered crevices and caves. It mates around may and June and gives
birth around January and can have 1-3 cubs. These are born blind and gain sight after
30 days . The bear cubs stay with mum for 2 years, making breeding again only
possible after this time so slowing the breeding population .They can be both
carnivorous and herbivorous.
There have been incidents in Bulgaria of bear attacks probably due to the increasing
numbers now that are found around the country. In May of this year in Bulgaria a man
was killed because it was dark and weather conditions were bad, so causing poor
visibility, and he did not realise he was so close to the animal. The animal
although a protected species in Bulgaria , was given permission by local authorities
to be hunted by rangers and killed , but this only happens when killing of a human is
proven. In July a woman was seriously attacked and injured when out in the forest
picking mushrooms and is still stable in hospital. These are thought to be isolated
cases and have occured in the same area of Smolyan in southern Bulgaria.
Confrontation where by villagers and bears reside in the same environment is making
the locals anxious when going ahead with their daily lives of picking herbs and
mushrooms and herding live stock. Many Bulgarian people are employed in the
logging industry in forests, as wood is the main source of fuel for heating
throughout Bulgaria, and it is the only way of life that they know and these people
have spent their whole lives living this way ,in harmony with their population of this
fascinating species-The Bulgarian Brown Bear!
Photo by courtesy of: Gray M Stolz-USFWS
