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 or caught and exploited as “tourist attractions” in small cages or chained up.
• 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.