ORPHANS
In Estonia, several bear cubs are orphaned each year. In
1998–1989, 12 orphaned cubs were found. Abandonment
or death of the mother are the 2 main reasons leading to
such cases. In a majority of cases, females with cubs have
been disturbed during denning by forest logging or by
hunting near the bear den. Hunting for wild boar [Sus
scrofa] with dogs has been the most frequent type of hunt-
ing that disturbs bears. When disturbed, females often
abandon their young (H. Valdmann, U. Saarma, and A.
Karis, unpublished data). The killing of female brown
bears with cubs is less frequent than disturbance (one case
in 1999). Although female brown bears are not legally
protected from hunting while accompanied by dependent
young, most hunters avoid shooting them. When orphans
are found, people either take cubs into captivity or leave
them. In recent years, general attitudes have favored tak-
ing cubs into captivity, raising them to the age they can
survive on their own, and releasing them to the same area
of the forest they were originally found. A special “home”
exists for orphan bears where they can be taken after they
have been found to be abandoned. With the aid of
Pazhetnov’s family from Russia, who have developed a
methodology for rising lone cubs (Pazhetnov et al. 1999),
9 orphan bears have been raised and released during 1998–
99.
Raising young bears in captivity is admirable and hard
work, but at the moment we are not confident that this is
the best way to help orphaned cubs. Habituation to people
can become a problem for orphans. Pazhetnov’s method
is applicable in areas where human settlements are far from
the ultimate release site. Even in the most remote areas of
Estonia, human density is higher than required by the
above method. Young bears can travel relatively long dis-
tances. We know of one instance in which a young bear
traveled 32 kilometers from the point of liberation within
a few days. In 1999, 3 young bears often visited gardens
in a village near the place they were released back into
the wild. According to observations by local people, these
bears were impudent but not aggressive.
As an alternative to raising bears in captivity, abandoned
young bears can be left in the forest and supplied by food
up to a certain age. Studies in Scandinavia have shown
that brown bear cubs can survive well on their own from
as early as 6 months of age (Swenson et al. 1998b).
Whether the latter strategy is suitable and superior to the
present one in Estonia remains to be investigated..."
www.lcie.org/Docs/Regions/Baltic/Valdmann URSUS Estonian bears.pdf