Bircus bears: description, habitats and nutrition

From time immemorial, man endowed some wild animals with a special halo of mystery. These include the white-bears, which are the oldest species. Their history counts more than one million years.

Appearance

This bear has several different names - Asian, black, Tibetan, and more known as Himalayan. His physique is not much different from other members of the bear family. But on closer examination, one can see features peculiar only to this species.

By size, white-bears are much inferior to their brown relatives. Adult males reach a length of not more than 170 cm, and their weight ranges from 110 to 150 kg. The constitution is easier, therefore these bears are more mobile and quicker. Large rounded ears, located on a relatively small head, give the animal a peculiar appearance. Brilliant and silky fur of beautiful black-resin color on the nape forms a kind of collar. A white mark on the chest in the form of a crescent is a special distinctive sign of the bear, thanks to which it received its name. Life expectancy does not exceed 14 years on average. Meat of these animals is highly valued, which causes great interest of hunters. This was one of the reasons that today the white-beared bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Habitat

The Himalayan bear inhabits mountain areas from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan to Japan and Korea. In Russia, it lives mainly in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. It also occurs in the north of Vietnam and the island of Taiwan.

This bear prefers to settle in cedar forests and fruiting oak trees, where the Manchurian nut, linden, Mongolian oak meet. Avoid spruce-fir taiga, birch forests and small forests. Usually, white-bears live in the forest zone, located along river valleys, mountain slopes, whose height does not exceed 700-800 meters. They love those places where broad-leaved forests predominate . In the Himalayas, they can be found in summer and at an altitude of 4 km, in winter the bears usually descend to the foothills. Selected for habitat, white-bears leave only in cases where there are problems with food.

Lifestyle

Most of his life this animal spends on trees, getting there food and fleeing from enemies.

Therefore, the white-breasted (Himalayan) bear perfectly climbs trees, doing this with great agility to the old age. The time of descent, even from a very high tree, takes no more than 3 seconds.

He also arranges a lair on a tree, choosing for it a large deep hollow at a height of not less than eight meters or using an old tree with an empty core (poplar, linden or cedar). It gnaws through the necessary size hole and develops the size of the space inside the tree. Every bear has one such lair. In case of danger there is always a spare option where he can take cover. In hibernation, white-breasted bears spend about 5 months - from November to March, sometimes leave their lair only in April.

These animals mostly seek solitude. But it happens that in places where there is a lot of food, several individuals can gather together. At the same time, the hierarchy, taking into account the age and weight of the male, is strictly observed. This is especially evident with the onset of the mating season.

Relations with each other bears build by means of visual contact, demonstrating posture to their status. If the animal sits down or lies down - this is the posture of submission. The same thing means moving backwards. The dominant bear always moves towards its competitor.

The area where white-breasted bears live is limited to urine labels, by which males designate the boundaries of their possessions. In addition, they rub their backs against tree trunks, leaving their smell on them.

Food

The diet of these animals is mainly plant food, so the spring for them - the most difficult time. Before the green vegetation appears in abundance, the plants' buds, last year's remnants of acorns and nuts, rootlets and bulbs that are digging out of the earth, go into the feed.

At the beginning of summer, when the first grass appears, the white-bears descend to the valleys, eating young shoots of the angelica, sedge and cow-grass. Do not miss the opportunity to eat eggs of birds and chicks. When raspberries ripen, currants, bird cherries, pine nuts, they become the main food for bears. Even very old animals can easily climb trees in search of food. This makes it quite interesting. Having broken and picked up a twig with fruits, the bear slips it under itself, so after a while under it something like a nest is formed. In it, it can be very long, eat and rest.

Just like brown brethren, white-bears are great honey lovers. Behind him they are ready to climb to any height, gnaw even the thickest wall of the tree where wild bees settled.

In the year of harvest, for the accumulation of fat reserves, only nuts and acorns are enough for a bear. For a month and a half of good feeding, the weight of adult fat stores usually amounts to 30% of the body weight.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

Sexually mature bears reach 3-4 years. The marriage period lasts approximately from June to August, passing quite calmly. After 7 months, in the winter, the female usually has 1 or 2 almost naked and blind cubs. Their weight does not exceed 800 g. After a month and a half the babies are covered first with a gray fluff, which soon gives way to black hair. They already see and hear well enough, can move around the den.

With the onset of spring, when a constant positive temperature is established, the cubs with their mother leave the den. By this time, their weight increases by 5 times. They feed mainly on mother's milk, and with the advent of green grass they gradually go over to the fodder, which is especially abundant in river valleys. There, and go down with the mother of small white-bears, where they live until the autumn.

The next winter they spend all together in a den, and by autumn they are starting an independent life.

Limiting factors

Human economic activity and poaching are causing great harm to the population of these bears. The local population seldom follows the rules of hunting, firing animals at any time of the year, often after hibernating, even though the white-beared bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Another factor contributing to a decrease in the number of these animals is felling of forests, fires. Hunters in search of prey often cut holes in hollow trees, after which they become unsuitable for bears. All this deprives animals of safe conditions for hibernation. It happens that they are forced to spend the winter on the ground.

The absence of a reliable refuge leads to an increase in the death of bears from predators. They can attack a tiger, a brown bear, and the cubs often become victims of wolves and lynx.

Security measures

After the white-bearded bear is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is completely banned. Particular attention is paid to the conservation of the main habitats of this species and strict control over the termination of the destruction of its shelters. A strong struggle against wolves is also aimed at preserving the population of white-bears. To restore the number of these animals, preserves and reserves are created with favorable conditions for them. Apiaries, wherever bears often visit, are equipped with special scaring devices.

Himalayan bear and man

This dexterous, despite its awkward appearance, and the savvy animal has long attracted a man. A lot of fairy tales and legends have been written about him. The ability of a white-bearded bear to adapt easily to captivity led to the fact that some representatives of this species became real circus performers. They are very amenable to training and learn different tricks.

A resident of the zoo, which causes a lot of audience sympathy, is a white-bearded bear. The Red Book, to which these animals are included, refers them to the category of vulnerable, and the inclusion in Appendix 1 of the CITES Convention means prohibiting the movement of bears for commercial purposes.

Still, in captivity to contain Himalayan bears is quite difficult. In order to return them to their native penates, a rehabilitation center has been set up in the Primorye Territory, where animals are trained to live in the wild.