Bieszczady National Park stands up for its predators

Bieszczady naturalists are dispelling myths about bears and other predators. A letter has been published on the BdPN website describing the way these animals live and how humans influence their functioning. The information is based on many years of observations and the experience of the National Park Service. Do we really need to be afraid of bears? What can we, as tourists, do to avoid disturbing their life in their natural environment?

The problem lies on the human side

BdPN emphasizes that bears are effectively protected within the park, among others thanks to strictly protected areas listed as part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. The problem, however, lies in the buffer zone. The areas surrounding the park are subject to increasing anthropopressure: intensive land development, fencing of plots, and the effects of organizing mass events.

All of this poses a threat to the safe life of bears and other predators in their natural environment. The presence of people increases the amount of waste, and leftover food is attractive to bears. This concerns not only garbage in bins, but also remains left at hunting grounds, at concert and event sites, as well as unsecured compost heaps.

Threats to bears do not arise solely from human activity. Unusual animal behavior may also result from natural factors, such as reduced food availability following a harsh winter.

Bieszczady National Park also draws attention to the problem of hunting baiting sites, where large quantities of corn and beets are regularly laid out. Bears eagerly take advantage of this easily accessible food, which strongly affects their behavior. The State Council for Nature Conservation points out that feeding animals may contribute to artificial selection of the species, loss of fear of humans, and bold behavior. Baiting sites also contribute to the spread of parasites among animals.

What can we do to protect bears in their natural environment?

Bieszczady National Park emphasizes that it does not feed predators within its area and does not carry out large-scale activities modifying natural habitats. It also limits the number of trash bins. They cannot be found at any of the 65 tourist shelters. Trails are regularly cleaned, and waste is removed from bins located at information and ticket points.

Park staff encourage tourists to handle waste responsibly. They appeal to visitors to take food and drink waste with them and dispose of it at designated collection points so that wild animals are not attracted to it. This is intended to discourage bears from appearing on trails in search of food.

The number of bears in Poland – a great unknown

The BdPN letter states that around 20 bears live within the park. They are part of the Bieszczady population, inhabiting an area of about 2,500 km² and numbering around 100 individuals. Importantly, these data come from genetic studies, the only reliable source.

It is worth distinguishing them from data obtained from camera traps, observations, and inventories conducted by forest districts. As explained by Dr. hab. Agnieszka Sergiel, professor at the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences, these methods are inconsistent with the species monitoring methodology. This is an important point in the context of recent reports by the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Krosno, according to which around 300 bears may be present in the Bieszczady Mountains, the Foothills, and the Low Beskids. These figures come from Statistics Poland data collected from forest managers and are not based on genetic research.

The lack of up-to-date genetic data makes it impossible to reliably determine the number of bears in Poland, emphasized Teresa Berezowska-Cnota, MSc, coordinator of the most recent brown bear monitoring cycles in our country, in an interview for the Nauka w Polsce portal.