Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758
THREATS
Past decline is attributed to forest clearance, persecution and hunting (for sport or protection of domestic stock). The main present threats are hunting, habitat loss and disturbance. Tourist development, eg. construction of ski resorts in isolated mountainous areas and construction of roads (eg. in the Pyrenees), dams (proposed for the Vidrieros Valley, Spain) are especially significant, while settlement and forestry also contribute to the decline. Most direct mortality comes from trophy hunting, persecution for crop protection, and poisoning through bait aimed at wolf control. A very large number of bears are reportedly shot illegally every year in the north-eastern Provinces of Turkey.28 Most of these bears are taken by subsistence farmers who see bears as a threat to their crops.28
Recent conservation attention has focused on the need to restrict the use of bear parts in traditional Chinese medicine.23 Many parts of the animal are used including the fat, brain and spinal cord, but its bile (found within the gall bladder) is highly sought after.23 Asian Brown Bears are one of the major sources of gall bladders, but with a value of US $150 per gall bladder (1995), Russian populations are also becoming affected.23,24,25,26,27
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