Brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

Abstract

A study in 2012–2016 using camera traps confirmed the presence of brown bear in the Chornobyl exclusion zone (Ukraine). The presence of ca. 2–3 individuals was established in an area of up to 80 km2 near the village of Tovstyi Lis. Bears were observed on 17 occasions in all seasons except winter. Confirmed sightings were also recorded near the villages of Paryshiv and Ladyzhychi, though number of the animals in this area is unknown. Both locations include vast broadleaved woodlands with moist soil and abundant food reserves. The evidence collected (photographs, video, footprints, markings on trees, oral reports of a female bear with cubs) suggest the development of a resident breeding group and the revival of the species in Kyiv Polissia after centuries of its absence. This is facilitated by the size of the exclusion zone (2,600 km2), abundant resources and the absence of humans. A similar revival of bear has been reported in the neighbouring Poliskyi Radioecological Reserve in Belarus. Together both territories (4,750 km2) promise to be a new large reservation for brown bear in Eastern Europe.

Keywords

• brown bear
• Chornobyl exclusion zone
• camera trap
• revival of species
• favourable habitats