Box 9Y Brown bear

Brown bear (Ursus arctos)

Source: F Tassi, PANDA PHOTO Srl


Brown bears live in deciduous and coniferous woods in mountain areas and in plain taiga. In mountain areas they have a seasonal vertical migration up to altitudes of 3000 m. Despite their reputation as predatory carnivores, bears feed mainly on plants, berries, insects, small vertebrates and eggs. They are generally active at night and live in relatively small areas with a home range of 500 to 2500 hectares. Brown bears used to live in all parts of Europe, from Britain and Spain in the west to the Urals in the east. Today, they have completely disappeared from most Western and Central European countries. In the Pyrenees, the Alps and the north of Greece, only very small isolated populations are left. Brown bears were generally considered a danger to domesticated livestock and were persecuted everywhere. However, loss of habitat (large and coherent forest areas, free of disturbance) is another main reason for their decline (Council of Europe, 1989).