World Bear Day is celebrated annually on March 23 and is dedicated to raising awareness about the eight species of bears, their ecological role and the need for their conservation.
World Bear Day is dedicated to protecting all bears, regardless of species. Their habitats are fragmented due to activities such as logging, mining, road construction and urban development. Bears worldwide are threatened by habitat loss due to human activities, climate change, as well as their size and direct conflicts with humans.
Bears are called “ecosystem engineers”. Bears play an important role in maintaining the health of ecosystems. Here are just a few examples of the role of bears in shaping the complex relationships in the ecosystem that scientists cite. These animals help disperse the seeds of the plants they consume, thereby helping to restore forests. Another example of bears being ecosystem engineers is the connection between the Alaskan brown bear and soil fertility. Bears carry salmon carcasses that serve as fertilizer. Thanks to this interaction, bears are responsible for the availability of nitrogen on river banks, thereby creating a more suitable environment for plant growth, since nitrogen is one of their main nutrients.
There is one species of bear in Ukraine – the brown bear. Today, it is found only in the Carpathians and separate individuals in Polissya. The bear is listed in the Red Book and has the status of a species under threat of extinction.
In general, bears are wonderful creatures with an interesting ecology. The preservation of their species will increase the health and stability of the ecosystem. So it is not surprising that the bear deserves its own day on the calendar! Well, we suggest celebrating this day together with the bears of Mykolaiv Zoo!
