'Not in hibernation yet': bear caught on video in East Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – A bear was caught on video in the Markakol Nature Reserve, and the footage has gone viral online.

Video

The video was posted on the reserve’s official Instagram account and was filmed on October 14.

“While on patrol, our inspectors noticed that brown bears are still roaming the slopes,” the reserve’s staff noted.

Usually, bears go into hibernation in mid-October or early November, depending on the weather, they explained. They wake up with the arrival of spring warmth. According to the reserve’s observations, brown bears in the Markakol Mountains hibernate for about five to six and a half months, spending nearly seven months preparing for it. The inspectors’ main task is to ensure peace and safety for the animals during their winter rest.

The bear in the video was identified as an Altai brown bear. Its body length ranges from 1.7 to 2.5 meters, and its shoulder height reaches 1.3 meters. Males weigh between 300 and 500 kilograms, sometimes up to 600, while females typically weigh 150–300 kilograms.

“This animal is characterized by a powerful barrel-shaped body, a noticeable shoulder hump, a massive head with a convex profile, and long thick fur whose color ranges from dark brown to golden fawn,” the organization reported.

According to monitoring data, 30 bears were recorded in the reserve in the spring of 2023, and 40 by the fall of 2024.