emergency response team – bulgaria – dealing with bears and wolves

Emergency response team –

Bulgaria – dealing with bears and

wolves

Aleksandar Dutsov

BALKANI Wildlife Society

LARGE CARNIVORES in

BULGARIA

Aleksandar Dutsov


Bears in Bulgaria

They inhabit 10500 sq. km.

Separated in two subpopulations (one

metapopulation).

Estimated capacity of habitat is 1200

individuals.

Estimated population size is 500-700.

Protected.

Wolves in Bulgaria

They inhabit 15 500 sq. km.

Most suitable habitats in the country.

Estimated capacity of habitat is 800 -1200

individuals.

Estimated population size is 700-850.

Not protected at the moment. Legally

hunted whole year with some regulation

based on methods allowed.

Which of the following best describes

your feeling towards bears and wolves

12.6

22.7 21.9

37.2

5.6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Completely

positive

Rather

positive

Neither

positive, nor

negative

Rather

negative

Completely

negative

33.4 31.9

17.8

8.7 8.2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Completely

positive

Rather

positive

Neither

positive, nor

negative

Rather

negative

Completely

negative

General attitude towards WOLVES General attitude towards BEARS

FELLINGS

What would you fill if meet a bear?

Fear, 65.1Horror, 5.0

Curiosity/

Interest, 26.4

Hatred, 2.1 Other, 1.3

Fear ; 51,3

Horror; 6,6

Curiosity/Interest; 24,7

Hatred; 16,8

Other; 0,8

Fear; 65,1

Horror; 5,0

Curiosity/ Interest; 26,4

Hatred; 2,1 Other; 1,3

DAMAGES

No, they do

not

39%

Yes, they

did

61%

Do bear cause damages?

DAMAGES Do bear cause damages?

Damages Caused by Bears Since 2006 in Smolyan Region

Peak in 2009 – over 120 cases

Legislation

Aleksandar Dutsov


Bear – protected since 1992 (Ministry Order), 2002 Biodiversity

Conservation Act

Wolf – hunted all year, BCA – managed polulations.

Hunting and Game Protection Act – Article 79. (1) Damages caused

by game in hunting grounds on agricultural crops, forest vegetation and

livestock are payd by managers of the game. (2) Damages caused by

bear and cormorant are covered by Ministry of Environment and water.

Brown Bear Management Plan 2008.

Definiton

Aleksandar Dutsov


BET

Emergency groups

are composed of

two divisions: One national commission

regional emergency

groups

Protocol

(underdevelopment)

Brown Bear Conservation

Program in Bulgaria

Duties and activities of the National

commission:

It elects and control the members of the regional

groups

Collects and analyses the data presented by the

regional commissions

Makes decisions on coping with problematic

bears, as well as on damage compensation.

It coordinates annual quota for shooting of brown

bear specimens in regions.

It controls all the activities of other organizations,

institutions and individuals, connected with the

brown bear.

It acts as a major informing body for giving of

information on problematic bears to the public in

connection with conflicts settlement.

Regional Emergency Groups

They immediately visit the place, in case of signal for damages done by bear

They ascertain and instantly evaluate the damage and immediately presented their conclusions in

a protocol to the National commission.

They make suggestions to the National commission about compensations for owner of damaged

by brown bear property.

Suggest immediate actions against a problematic bear according to the data gathered to the

National commission for.

Prescribe local preventing measures (for example dung-hill cleaning, etc.) to reduce the problems

Immediately take or set activities or measures in case of trap release or in other conditions,

which harmed the specimen, as well as medical treatment of such ones.

To keep the expert level of the regional commissions’ members high, they have to go to an annual

refreshing course, in addition a training course for new damage appraisers has to be carried out.

Coping with a problematic bear – at first through frightening, if this measure is ineffective,

then other steps can be taken: catch and marking of a problematic bear for easier tracking,

moving the bear to other place, holding in captivity (zoo or else) and as a last resort

shooting. Measures have to be directed to preserve the species and to solve the problem

“human-bear”.


Program in Bulgaria

BALKANI WS, Vlahi

30.06.2010


Program in Bulgaria

Annual training of Regional

groups

Theoretical part

• Presentation of results and experience

exchange

• Update of protocol and propose of legislation

changes

• Practical trainings, etc.

LC Interactions in past

Aleksandar Dutsov


• Game Managers were assessing

damage sites.

• Government is compensating

damages / Governmental Insurance

Institute.

• Expert Game Managers are trained

to remove specific problem

individuals.

Now a day

Aleksandar Dutsov


• Regional structures of MOEW are delegating

BET functions to experts (REI and National

Parks). REI – Smolian has established

designated BET team.

• NGO’s are participating in BET interventions

(BALKANI WS).

• Local commissions by Foresters, Veterinarians,

MOEW representatives and NGO are part of

commission to asses damages.

Dammage asesment

Preparing documentation

Recommendation for Compensation

Aleksandar Dutsov


Necropsy

Identifying cause of dead

Aleksandar Dutsov


Rescquing bears from traps and

other unusual situations

Aleksandar Dutsov


Intervention with problem bears

Александър Дуцов

Prevention

Aleksandar Dutsov


• BET members are recommending use

of proper preventive measures.

• BET members are assisting in donation

and assembly of electric fences and

LGD.

Recommendations

Aleksandar Dutsov


• Development of Wolf damage

assessment and registration system. And

same for Lynx. Management Plan for

both species.

• Training local teams to deal with wolf and

lynx related issues.

• Elaboration of National legislation dfining

and regulating large carnivore

compensation, prevention and function of

Large Carnivore Emergency Teams.

THANK YOU

Александър Дуцов

16.12.2008

www.bearbg.com

www.balkani.org

http://www.bearbg.com/

http://www.balkani.org/

emergency response team – bulgaria – dealing with bears and wolves

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