Eurasian brown bear subspecies and ex situ conservation relevance

(moderator note - original discussion taken from Tierpark Dessau)

@Jana, I admit and would hope that would be a strategy for the European brown bear EEP. We are dealing too many rescuees and then not doing anything for their species right now.

 

I will admit I know nothing about activities of Brown bear EEP so can´t praise or critique it.

But in my opinion what bears need the most urgently is education of public in how to coexist with them in present overcrowded European landscape. Even last remaining wild area is overrun by tourists. People nead to learn safe behaviour, mitigation practices and at the same time view them positively or at least neutraly. Zoos did a lot education in case of prepairing public for return of European otter. Now it´s time they would do the same for bears - at least in places where bear population grows or this species is expected to emerge by immigration from neighbour countries. German Alps is prime example - reintroduced population in Italian Alps grows nicely and will spread there sooner or later. It would be nice if German public would react with less panic this time.

 

@Jana, fully in agreement there.

 

This is true of the populations in Cantabria, Pyrenees, Alps and Appennines. In Italy it is working as the Italian conservation authorities are well engaged in interpretation and educational work benefitting both Marsican bears and Appennine wolves.

I would though advocate for one functioning ex situ conservation breeding program for relevant brown bear subspecies in Europe and perhaps even 2 (given that both Marsican and Pyrenean would suit that criterium well).

Other than that I would say Syrian brown bear really do deserve an ex situ program coupled with recovery / restoration in Israel / Lebanon and Syria. Source populations: the last Syrian brown bears held captive in European zoos as well as near source groups from northern Iraq, south-western Turkey and Datca population of the Peninsula in south-west corner bordering on Lebanon \ Syria (less than 50 bears).

SOURCE:
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
status
Syrian brown bear – Bear Conservation.
distribution \ range

Further, there must be loads in private hands in captivity near range countries (particularly in Turkey, Iraq, around the lesser Caucasus)?

 

All Syrian brown bears in European/US zoos and circuses are offspring of a single (sibbling?) pair. Their horrible genetics is the main reason why they got almost completely phased out since. To start a meaningful breeding program based on them is silly and could be excused only in case this subspecies/population would completely die out in nature and those were last representants.

 

That sure is interesting. Not contesting, just do you have any source and/or scientific papers for the genetics of these highly inbred Syrian brown bears?

The species Syrian brown bear is extinct in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The nearest population is Datca (from which recolonisation could potentially happen).
I do believe it would require education and public awareness as well as sourcing bears from SW Turkey (Toros East, Anatolia West and Datca).

 

Following up on the discourse over the desireability of Eurasian brown bear ex situ programs I would like to start a new thread here.

Currently, whenever Eurasian brown bear discourse comes up EAZA/EEP and accredited zoos only seem to restrict themselves to rescueing brown bears from substandard conditions or brown bear subspecies without any conservation importance ex situ objective (other than mere education).

Now this subject recently came up once more in the Tierpark Dessau thread as it deserves its own place in the General fora of the European zoos chapter.

I propose to start here and follow through on that discussion.

SOURCE:
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

 

I found this paper challenging the popular view of no European bear subspecies of conservation importance: the Marsican or Appennine brown bear.

SOURCE:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...servation_in_Europe_that_undervalues_taxonomy

 

I don´t have scientific papers. It have read it in EAZA Yearbook (2015 or 2016 or around, it was online and I can´t find it again) that all Syrian bears in Europe come directly from a single litter of young bears that were imported from Turkey by Vienna zoo Schönbrunn at the beginning of 20th century. They must be so inbred now.

 

I would appreciate if moderators could transfer the brown bear discourse to the new thread Brown bears Eurasia just created in the General Europe thread forum.

Thank you.

 

There are now good practices and manuals worked out by European societies of protecting wild carnivores, how to avoid conflict with brown bears and human economy, farming, tourism etc. They could be adopted to wild Syrian brown bears in the Middle East and within few years, help conservation very much.

In the past, all zoo spaces in Europe were blocked by enormous number of rescued brown bears from Eastern Europe and Russia - former circus bears, trained dancing bears, injured bears, poached cubs, bears from old, substandard zoo cages etc. I wonder whether this is still the case?

 

Most brown bears in Czech zoos and other establishments (castle moats) are old and are dying out pretty quickly. Youngest ones are in their 20ties. In most cases they are not replaced because their enclosures were not adequate. So they either are demolished or wait for redevelopment. Those that would wish to get new brown bears can easily get rescue cubs from Slovakia.