The Bears of Kamchatka

Lucky visitors to the Valley of the Geysers in late spring and early summer may observe bears gathering here to mate. Brown bear is one of the largest land mammals on Earth. They have adapted to environments around the northern hemisphere – from the now fragmented forests of Europe to the Caucasus Mountains, from the deserts of Mongolia to the Arctic tundra in Siberia, and to large areas of North America. 

Worldwide, there are approximately 150-210,000 bears. More than half are found in Russia, while 30-40,000 reside in North America. But populations of brown bears are declining. Only in Siberia, northeastern Russia, and Alaska are bear populations more or less stable. Brown bears – also called grizzlies in the U.S. and Canada – differ in size and attributes in their various geographical regions and are divided into seven to 12 subspecies. 

The Kamchatka subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos piscator in Latin – meaning “fish-eating”) is larger than most other subspecies of brown bear. Only the Kodiak bear on Alaska is larger on average. 

Kamchatka has one of the last naturally fluctuating populations of brown bear. The stable population of about 15-16,000 on the Kamchatka Peninsula makes up about five percent of the brown bears in the world or 15 percent of the Russian bear population. 

Like grizzlies in Alaska, Kamchatka brown bears’ primary source of protein is salmon. Bears migrate hundreds of kilometers in search of food. They move with the season and food source – feasting on grasses in spring, salmon in summer, and berries and pine nuts in fall. Kuril Lake, located on the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula, is the largest sockeye salmon-spawning lake in the world. It also boasts the highest density of bears in the world, as a result of the abundance of food and denning areas. 

But even on Kamchatka, threats to the long-term survival of the brown bear population are rising. Mining and forestry on Kamchatka reduce areas of suitable habitat. Poaching of bears for their skins, meat, and gall bladders threatens the population directly. And overfishing of salmon could have long-term impacts on bears by reducing their primary food source.

There is also the threat of the thermal ecosystem itself. Some bears get burned by the geysers. Some even die. But those who burn, learn. Animals that survive know exactly where to tread – and where not to – the next time they cross a thermal field. 

Some places have a fatal attraction. Death Valley is one of those places. A dozen bears were found dead here one year, and more die each year. Located just above the Valley of the Geysers, the narrow canyon emits carbon monoxide and other gases from numerous vents. Noxious gases emitted from this beautiful but deadly valley can kill within minutes. Mice, hare, and other small critters die first, attracting large predators to scavenge their remains. These then fall victim to the deadly gases, and the cycle continues.

For all the inherent danger, living in thermal ecosystems does have its advantages. The snow melts and the grass grows more quickly on thermally-heated soils and near hot springs. This can be vital in a climate where winter lasts nearly half the year. 

Even bears seem to prefer a hot bath to a cold one. Hot springs have healing powers, and it is possible that aging or sick bears soak in the mineral water to ease arthritis or other ills.

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A number of international organizations are working with local state and non-governmental groups on conservation of brown bears on Kamchatka, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the World Conservation Society (WSC), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). These notes on the Kamchatka bears were adapted from “Kamchatka Brown Bears,” by Vladimir and Tatyana Gordienko, published in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 2005 with support from WWF.)