THE FIRST – and, so far, only - bear fitted with a telemetric collar in the Tatra National Park (TANAP) has brought a wealth of new information about Slovakia’s biggest predator, the SITA newswire has reported.
“The telemetry has shown very interesting data concerning the daily activity of the bear, including his movements of between 12 kilometres and just 50 metres, shortly before hibernation,” Pavol Majko, head of the TANAP administration, told SITA.
The bear has been moving across the Tatras since October 6, when environmentalists, in cooperation with foresters, caught the male, who is about four years old and weighs about 100 kilograms, in Kôprová Dolina valley.
The collar should record the bear’s exact movements for the next two years. So far, the telemetry has helped to clarify his contacts with other animals, and even people.
The bear visited several hotels, seeking food. According to Majko, his movements were affected by the presence of a dominant male in the same area, who had forced him out of Tichá Dolina valley. The bear has now been hibernating for several weeks.
The precise movements of the bear recorded by the collar can help environmentalists assess the total number of bears in the national park.
According to SITA, environmentalists plan to give telemetric collars to other bears as soon as next year: one to a bear with unusual behaviour, and one to a large, dominant bear.
