title

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Bukovyna (Ukraine): distribution, habitats, diet, and morphological features

author(s)

Anatoliy Volokh (orcid: 0000-0003-1291-921X)
Yuri Tkachuk (orcid: 0009-0000-3929-0517)

affiliation

National Museum of Natural History, NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)

bibliography

Theriologia Ukrainica. 2025. Vol. 30: 67–74.

DOI

language

Ukrainian, with English summary, titles of tables, captures to figs

abstract

In Bukovyna, the brown bear is constantly present in four forest districts, where it prefers old mountainous, cluttered coniferous and mixed forests. Some individuals cross mountain pastures and are found in old abandoned plum and apple orchards. The long border between Ukraine and Romania (243.7 km), where hunting has been banned for a long time, has had a significant positive impact on the bear population. This has contributed to an increase in numbers and allowed the animals to live undisturbed in the border forests and sometimes even cross the state border. Bears very rarely hibernate—no traces of them were seen during the harsh winter of 1995–1996. During the berry ripening season, bears visit forest glades searching for raspberries, blackberries, and other fruits. They eagerly consume beech nuts and acorns, hunt wild ungulates and attack domestic animals. Among wild mammals, wild pigs dominate the bears’ diet (over 80%), with deer and roe deer occasionally appearing. The bears sometimes kill cows and horses, and often feed on honey destroying apiaries. Despite the species being listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, the brown bear population in Chernivtsi Oblast continues to decline. The minimum population was recorded in 1963 (10 individuals), 1975 (16), and 2000 (17), and the maximum in 1990 (32), 1995 (35), and 2025 (36). The main reason for the decline in numbers is poaching, as evidenced by the periodic appearance of skins and bear cubs on the market. The largest brown bear population in Europe is found in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, with an estimated population of 7500–10 000 individuals. Thanks to this, some individuals cross border fences and end up in various places in Bukovyna. Since the trophy quality of brown bears from the Carpathians is very high, limited trophy hunting has been introduced in Romania since 2016 to optimise their population. The trophy qualities of the skulls of four male brown bears from Bukovyna available to the authors were considered, three of which meet the requirements for obtaining gold medals according to the Madrid system. The bear population in Chernivtsi Oblast remains highly dependent on the rejuvenation of forests in the process of commercial logging and the abundance of wild boars.

keywords

brown bear, habitats, diet, poaching, Carpathians

references

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