RMK bear camera starts broadcasting 08.04

This year, the bear holds the title of Animal of the Year. However, only a few lucky ones can see this grand animal with their own eyes. Therefore, RMK put up a webcam in a bear dense region so that everyone could safely observe the activities of the bear in real time,” zoologist and nature photographer Tiit Hunt remarks.

“The probability to see the various bears in front of the bear camera is definitely high.” This year, more bears than usual should be prowling the forests of Järva County because there is estimated to be about ten mother bears who had babies early this year. Two-three cubs are typically in one bear’s litter, and less often there are five. Therefore, there should be about 25 three month old bear babies tailing their mothers and discovering this world in these forests or plains.”

Bait, which can be wild animals killed in traffic accidents, is needed to attract the bears and other predators to the camera’s field of view. Right now, there is no alluring scent but there are some bones frozen into the ground behind the camera near which a wolf’s fresh prints were found.


You can observe the everyday life of bears here:on RMK’s YouTube channel. You can watch a broadcast about the goshawks inhabiting in the RMK Tartu nursery from the same channel.
Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a predator, who fears humans and has a nocturnal and sheltered lifestyle, thus it is not often that you meet this bear in nature. However, you can often find signs of the presence of bears – paw prints on forest paths, recently made piles and sometimes desolate beehives. In the last 15 years, the number of bears has increased in Estonia and the state of the population can be considered great.

“When walking in the forest, you should make yourself audible, such as talk with your companion or break branches, so that wild animals would hear you and keep away from you,” Tiit Hunt recommends. “But if you are lucky and meet a bear, don’t run out of fear or stare at the animal, rather move away from it calmly. The most dangerous is to meet a bear with babies who it is protecting against people as a potential danger, thus you should avoid this situation in any way possible.”

Tiit Hunt manages the nature cameras and broadcasts the events that take place there – you can read longer posts about it here: RMK Nature Blog.

Further information:
Tiit Hunt
Zoologist and nature photographer
tiithunt@gmail.com
+372 506 7488