Protection of bears

Right now, bears are being destroyed on a completely unprecedented scale, and this does not fit any elementary logic. As part of independent work, the “Protection Program” has been launched with the introduction of an annual register of issued bear-shooting quotas in Russia, in order to understand the real scale of pressure and achieve systemic protection for the master of the Russian Taiga.

History of the problem: 

• In 2018, Russian law enforcement agencies spoke out in defense of bears. The FSB of Russia proposed considering brown and Himalayan bears a strategically important resource due to the decline in the number of these animals and the threat of their mass killing for illegal export. In the same year, 2018, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation stated that the number of bears in Russia had decreased by 36% in just two years: from 225,000 individuals in 2015 to 143,000 individuals in 2017. The Prosecutor General’s Office asked the Government of the Russian Federation to include all species of brown bear in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
• Despite these signals, bears were not placed under the necessary protection. The problem did not receive a systemic solution, while further state practice moved toward expanding hunting pressure.
• Since 2018–2019, the direction of sport and trophy hunting has noticeably developed in the country. Regions began to attract hunters more actively, develop hunting tourism, and expand opportunities for the killing of wild animals. Numerous bills were adopted expanding the methods and scale of animal shooting. Later, Roslesinforg published data stating that one third of all publicly accessible forest hunting grounds in the country had been transferred into private hands for the organization of paid animal killings, while the number of hunters, according to official statements, had grown to more than 5 million people.
• Against this background, bear-shooting quotas began to grow. According to our register, in the 2019/2020 season, the authorities permitted the shooting of 24,405 bears. In subsequent years, the number of bears allowed to be killed continued to increase.
• In addition, hunting periods were extended until December 31. This means that bears were allowed to be killed already in the first month of winter, when many animals enter their dens, including pregnant females. In effect, winter hunting of sleeping bears was legalized.
• In the summer of 2024, there was an attempt to legalize winter bear hunting for the entire winter period — effectively until spring. After public outcry, the adoption of this initiative was stopped, but there are reports that the hunting lobby plans to try again to push through the killing of bears throughout the winter.
• And already in the 2025/2026 season, an absolute quantitative record was set: the number of bears permitted for shooting reached 45,972 individuals. This is the maximum value for the entire period of maintaining our register, compiled from official resolutions of regional authorities.

As a wildlife researcher with serious experience in studying environmental problems, relying strictly on scientific data, I believe that the scale of bear killing is being deliberately increased in the interests of the hunting industry. I also categorically disagree with the current population-counting methods, which are largely based on surveys of hunting users. In addition, the overall pressure on protected natural areas is increasing, which leads to animals coming out toward people due to the reduction of habitat and food resources. This increases conflicts and may significantly distort real population data.

As part of the “Protection Program,” we will carry out continuous work to achieve systemic protection for bears, and every year, using our own resources, we will calculate the scale of ongoing pressure on bears across the country’s regions.