In recent years, brown bears have been frequently appearing in the consolidated communities of Yeghegis and Yeghegnadzor in Vayots Dzor Region. People are concerned about their safety and the damage caused to their property.
“As soon as it gets dark, the bears are already in the village, in groups. They damage households, kill chickens and rabbits. They break beehives and trees when the crops start to ripen, as well as destroy hundreds of kilograms of harvest and break the trees. At night, people are afraid to leave their houses because of the bears. During the summer, we’ve even seen bears in the village in broad daylight. Years ago, there were bears in our mountains too, but they never came into the village. Now, they enter freely,” Vernashen resident Harutyun Gevorgyan noted.
Melik Matevosyan, founder of the bezoar goat observation point in Shatin, says he now shows more brown bears to visitors than bezoar goats. “We don’t harm them; we have no right to. The bear freely enters the village center and private lands, not only at night but also during the day. The important thing is that a bear doesn’t attack unless it’s provoked or startled,” Matevosyan outlined.
According to Aharon Gabrielyan, Deputy Head of Yeghegis Community, the damage caused by bears in Shatin amounts to 29 million AMD. As part of “The Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” LILA project, a 40kW solar power plant was installed in Yeghegis, and the revenue from the sale of its electricity will be used to compensate residents for damages caused by bears. Electric shepherds are also being provided to communities in Vayots Dzor to protect against bears.
“To mitigate human-wildlife conflict, over 160 electric shepherds have now been installed throughout Vayots Dzor. Damage caused to people are being compensated, training sessions are being conducted, and bears are being fed so they don’t come into the communities—and they don’t,” Gegham Margaryan, Head of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Department of Vayots Dzor Regional Administration outlined.
According to Jernej Stritih, the Chief Technical Advisor, Chief Technical Advisor of Ecoregional Corridors Programme in the South Caucasus (ECF) Phase II, human-wildlife conflicts have increased in recent decades due to several key reasons. “On one hand, some wild animals no longer fear humans, as hunting has decreased, and they are seeking alternative food sources. These sources are often the result of human activity—unprotected beehives, fruit orchards, agricultural waste. In such conditions, human environments may become even more attractive and accessible to wild animals than their natural habitats. In a way, we have opened an entire supermarket for wild animals through our activities,” he told EcoLur.
Presenting Slovenia’s example, Stritih noted: “Slovenia is one of the European countries with the largest brown bear populations, as well as a significant number of wolves. Almost half of Slovenia’s territory is considered bear habitat, meaning bears are found almost everywhere. In the early 2000s, when we joined the EU, we developed a brown bear management strategy as part of the Natura 2000 protected species network. At that time, there were about 400 bears in Slovenia, and now there are over 1,000. A lot of work has been done to raise local awareness. For example, the amount of waste in villages has been reduced. In the past, when people slaughtered animals in their yards, they would throw the remains into the bushes, which became an invitation for bears to come to the villages,” he noted.
The expert emphasized that approaches to resolving the issue vary-from technical solutions to new management models. “In this context, electric fences, bear-proof garbage containers, and monitoring of domestic animals are widely used. Guard dogs also play an important role-especially the Caucasian Shepherd, which is a good way to protect livestock from predators,” Stritih noted.
In addition to preventative measures, Slovenia also has a “bear intervention team,” whose specialized members are ready to respond to residents’ reports. When necessary, they tranquilize and relocate the animal to another location.
Despite the measures, one or two incidents are recorded each year in Slovenia where a bear harms a person. According to Stritih, these cases are usually accidental, when a person unknowingly approaches the animal. This typically happens in the forest while collecting mushrooms or herbs, when someone strays from the path and quietly comes near a bear. The danger often comes from bears that have become accustomed to human presence and, in search of food, no longer avoid populated areas. In Slovenia, such bears are referred to as “problematic bears.”
Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia (LILA) project is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the WWF Caucasus and Armenia offices in partnership with Strategic Development Agency NGO.
May 12, 2025 at 14:38