Tweet
FEATURED VIDEO: RARE SYRIAN BROWN BEAR CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Mongabay.com
June 19 2013
By: Phyllis Sena
June 19, 2013
New camera-trap footage from the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge in Armenia,
has captured rare footage of a Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos
syriacus), a subspecies of Brown Bear native to Eurasia. This is an
important recording as there may be just one or two bears in this
reserve and the animals are listed as vulnerable in Armenia. The exact
population of this subspecies is unknown and likely to be declining
due to poaching, habitat destruction and diminishing sources of food
in the wild.
Agriculture, mining and quarrying are some of the reasons for their
habitat destruction, and bears damaging bee hives and orchards is
the main cause of conflict with local farmers. According to the
Foundation for Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets Program
Director Barbara Siebert, "CWR is so important because we provide
an area free from conflict for wildlife such as bears. We also plant
wild fruit and nut trees to encourage bears to use the protected area
rather than farmland."
FPWC uses camera-trap images to assess population numbers of wildlife,
and numbers are compared year to year to show if they are increasing.
Additionally, images of injured animals may be a sign of poaching
and will prompt greater security in a particular area of the refuge.
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0619-sena-video-syrian-bear.html
Mongabay.com
June 19 2013
By: Phyllis Sena
June 19, 2013
New camera-trap footage from the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge in Armenia,
has captured rare footage of a Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos
syriacus), a subspecies of Brown Bear native to Eurasia. This is an
important recording as there may be just one or two bears in this
reserve and the animals are listed as vulnerable in Armenia. The exact
population of this subspecies is unknown and likely to be declining
due to poaching, habitat destruction and diminishing sources of food
in the wild.
Agriculture, mining and quarrying are some of the reasons for their
habitat destruction, and bears damaging bee hives and orchards is
the main cause of conflict with local farmers. According to the
Foundation for Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets Program
Director Barbara Siebert, "CWR is so important because we provide
an area free from conflict for wildlife such as bears. We also plant
wild fruit and nut trees to encourage bears to use the protected area
rather than farmland."
FPWC uses camera-trap images to assess population numbers of wildlife,
and numbers are compared year to year to show if they are increasing.
Additionally, images of injured animals may be a sign of poaching
and will prompt greater security in a particular area of the refuge.
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0619-sena-video-syrian-bear.html