WWF Bulgaria: Campaign for Bear Conservation and Proper Conduct

WWF Bulgaria is launching an information campaign on social media, aiming to raise public awareness regarding proper behavior when encountering a bear – both in populated areas and in the wild. The conservation organization will explain key rules for action in such encounters, as well as information about the institutions to which citizens can report problematic or injured bears. The campaign will also debunk common misconceptions related to these emblematic animals.

The initiative is part of the international Forest Connect project, implemented within the framework of the Interreg Danube Region program and co-financed by the European Union. Project partners emphasize the importance of ensuring connectivity of the migration corridors of large predators – a key factor for the health and sustainability of forest ecosystems. The campaign focuses attention not only on bears, but also on two other characteristic predators for the region: the wolf and the lynx.

Currently, against the backdrop of active activity, tension can be observed in society. People are concerned about their own safety, and sometimes about the protection of domestic animals.

Human activity continues to have a significant impact on bear populations. The interruption of migration corridors due to infrastructure projects and unsustainable agricultural practices, extreme manifestations of climate leading to a reduction in food resources and hindering hibernation, as well as the increased contacts with people, provoked by the search for food, are among the main factors. Conflicts with people, arising due to attacks on domestic animals or apiaries, sometimes lead to self-righteousness with the bears, although they are a strictly protected species and their killing is a crime.

WWF reminds that the protection of bears is not just a legal obligation, but a key factor for the well-being of people and ecological balance. For example, bears, consuming wild fruits, disperse their seeds, thus contributing to the genetic diversity of plant species. In the spring, when food is scarce, they feed on animals that died during the winter, helping to limit the spread of dangerous diseases, including African swine fever. The brown bear is an "umbrella" species, whose protection indirectly ensures the protection of many other species in the same ecosystem.

Alexander Dutzov, biologist and senior expert in "Species Conservation" at WWF Bulgaria, emphasizes that the aim of the campaign is to encourage a rethinking of our relationship with nature. He adds that bears come down to populated areas due to problems caused by human activity, such as improper waste management, illegal dumping of garbage, breeding meat breeds in large and unprotected areas, and others. Protecting large predators, therefore, means protecting ourselves, the expert emphasizes.

Within the next few weeks, the WWF team plans to conduct field surveys in certain critical sections of the ecological corridor in the Iskar Gorge. The aim is to find traces of bears and other large mammals, to confirm the use and significance of the corridor and to ensure its protection. A meeting with interested parties and competent authorities is also forthcoming, at which a strategic action plan will be presented.

WWF calls on citizens to follow the campaign on the organization's social media – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn – and to share the information. In recent months, there has been an increase in cases of bears entering populated areas, which inevitably causes fear and anxiety among people. In some cases, there is damage to agricultural property and domestic animals, the conservation organization points out. The most affected are the settlements in the regions of Gabrovo, Lovech and Smolyan.

Nada Tosheva, head of the "Protected Species" program at WWF Bulgaria, comments that one of the main reasons for bears coming down to populated areas is the lack of enough food in the forest areas. She recalls that between 70 and 90% of the bears' food in Bulgaria is of plant origin. The early frosts this spring, for example, have destroyed the fruit trees, from which the bears feed. The year is not good for acorns either, which are also part of their diet. A warm or unstable winter with variable temperatures is expected, which may lead to a lack of hibernation. Tosheva emphasizes that hibernation is not mandatory, but a way to save energy during periods of food shortage. If the weather is favorable, the bears will continue to look for food. They know that there is corn in the feeders for deer and wild boars, and around the villages there is accessible waste. WWF Bulgaria calls on citizens who notice a bear to first call 112 or contact the relevant regional environmental inspection or the directorate of a national park.

Observations of bears, including through photo traps, often create the impression that they are everywhere and their number is increasing, but there is actually a lack of accurate data on their total number, the organization reminds. The bear population in Bulgaria is considered relatively stable – around 700-900 individuals. Before the development of modern technological means of observation, they were much more difficult to find. Accurate population data will be obtained after the completion of the first genetic monitoring in Bulgaria, which will be held next year by the Executive Environment Agency.

In May, the Ministry of Environment announced the start of the first DNA monitoring of the brown bear in Bulgaria. The project is implemented jointly with the Executive Environment Agency, forestry enterprises and national parks and is funded by the "Environment 2021-2027" Program. The DNA method is the most modern way to monitor and determine the number of a given species.