Kamchatka 2008 blog

 

 

Thanks to the many people who have passed on the following story:

 

 

I'm not in a position to relate any first-hand facts, but this story has obviously been wildly exaggerated. Beneath the claims passed on by credulous Moscow correspondants there is nevertheless a serious story behind this.

 

Firstly, two people have been killed by bears, or more likely a single bear. This happens every year, mostly in in Russia and America, but is still an unusual occurrence. These events typically share some common features. They tend to take place near settlements, where bears have become habituated to human presence, and usually involve only a single bear that has turned 'bad'. Retribution from the local community is swift. The deaths are tragic but nonetheless unsurprising. Bears sniffing through domestic waste are typical of any village in the region and cause no alarm. We have them on the local tip outside Esso. Bears in the wilderness are generally wary of humans and are reluctant to approach camps.

 

As for thirty bears surrounding a remote field site, the claim is frankly ludicrous. Bears are solitary creatures, so this is no more likely than thirty hungry cats laying siege to an aviary. Besides, would a group of terrified workers really go out into the dense surrounding forests and count bears until they got to thirty? I'm sure they're scared to leave the camp, but this is an implausible scenario.

 

Finally, however, I'm glad to see the illegal industrial-scale poaching of salmon reported. This is a major problem in the region, but not a new one - it's been an issue here in Kamchatka for over a decade. Some rivers have been cleaned of almost all fish. The sad truth is that this is not the cause of starving bears this summer; it's been going on for some time, and the impact has more than likely already played itself out in bear populations at a regional scale, although it may still have local effects where new poaching operations open.

 

So, in short, please don't worry about our team - starving bears are not roaming the forests eating people. We are still wary of bears and taking all possible precautions to avoid them. I can't promise that we won't encounter bears as it's one of the major risks of working here, but I don't consider that risk to have got any worse.

 

 

 

The first forest plot has now been completed in a beautiful patch of stone birch forest (Betula ermanii) south of Esso village in the Gorgachan valley. Today we're taking a welcome rest and not feeling too guilty as the rain has been falling steadily all afternoon. Tomorrow we'll be exploring some areas of old-growth larch forests to find the next place to set up a study plot. We've already had several encounters with bears, but fortunately on each occasion they've retreated peaceably on hearing us coming.

 

The side projects are also going well, apart from some minor methodological difficulties in trapping small rodents. Botanical and entomological collections are underway to complement the main research characterising the forest plots. The local park staff have been extremely helpful and supportive, so it's all going remarkably smoothly and to schedule. All we need now is for the rain to stop!

 

We've now arrived in Esso and are esconsed in the grounds of the National Park administration. We're making some exploratory treks at the moment, to get to know the area and see how things have changed in the last ten years. We've also been able to meet up with some old friends. The forests are truly breathtaking. We'll be chosing a base camp in the next few days then making plans to start the real work.

 

We've all arrived safely and the last week has been spent recovering from the worst possible jetlag (a full twelve hours) and frantically preparing for the trip. We have a mountain of food ready to load onto the bus tomorrow morning when we'll travel up to Esso village and begin the real business of the expedition. The last few team members will arrive from Komsomolsk-na-Amur this evening. It's all been a desperate rush but we have all the essentials and we're looking forward to getting into the forest. Most Russians seem keen to warn us about the mosquitoes, for which we are well prepared, but dreading nevertheless. More to follow once we get settled in Esso.