PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, April 19 (RIA Novosti) – Brown bears in the Russian region of Kamchatka, considered to be some of the world’s largest, have started coming out of hibernation, a local nature reserve reported on Friday.
Researchers at Kamchatka’s Kronotsky nature reserve have already seen some bears awake on the territory of its Geyser Valley, where the first grass has begun to appear as a result of the ground being warmed by the geysers. “The animals are savoring the rare greenery,” the nature reserve said in a statement.
The Kamchatka Peninsula’s brown bears are the world’s largest group living in a protected area, numbering some 1,700.
Mid-April is the usual time for Kamchatka’s bears to start waking up and coming out of their lairs, but they are not yet very hungry after hibernating. They still have up to two thirds of the fat reserves gained over the last summer and spring, according to the nature reserve.