Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

Bear Facts

• Threatened by man and man’s activities.
• Around 125,000 left in the wild.
• Hunted for sport and caught from the wild to be used in the cruel practice of dancing bears.
• Usually dark brown, but can vary from light cream to almost black.
• Recognised by its prominent shoulder hump.
• Known commonly as the ‘grizzly’ bear in North America.
• Most widespread species found in North America, Canada, Alaska, northern Russia, Asia and Europe.
• The Kodiak bear (Alaskan Grizzly) is the largest of the bear clan.
• Extensive hunting has depleted the remaining populations.
• Numbers decreased by 50% in 150 years.
• Most populations CITES Appendix II with threatened populations Appendix I.