In the Altai reserve Chinetinsky eco-trails “Volchya” and “Medvezhya” were closed due to bears

In the Altai Territory, on the territory of the Chinetinsky nature reserve, two ecological trails — “Volchya” and “Bear” — were closed for tourists. As specified in the regional Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the routes were blocked due to the threat of meeting with bears.

According to representatives of the department, the bear population in Chinetinsky has grown dramatically, so guests of the natural park are not recommended to appear on the trails. This is required by security measures for single visitors and tourist groups.

The regional Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment noted that the density of the distribution of the bear in the reserve remains high, so the passage of eco-trails without the accompaniment of state inspectors is life-threatening.

“The situation is complicated by the lack of cellular communication, the remoteness and complexity of the route,” the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said in a statement.

This is not the first such case in the region. Due to the activity of bears on August 12, several routes were closed for tourists in the Tigirek Nature Reserve, bordering the Chinetinsky Reserve.

According to open data, more than 1.3 thousand bears live in the region. Predators can be found in Zarinsky, Zalesovsky, Togulsky, Charyshsky, Soltonsky, Soloneshensky, Krasnoshchekovsky districts of the region.

The Chinetinsky State Natural Complex Reserve of regional significance was created in 1976 to preserve the biological diversity of the ecosystems of the foothills and mountains of the Western Altai.

The specially protected natural area is located in the basin of the Inya River. Its borders run along the banks of the Charysh and Belaya rivers. The total area of the reserve is 70 thousand hectares.

In addition to numerous bears, elk, Siberian roe deer, deer, lynx and wolves are found in Chinetinsky, occasionally wolverines come across. Also here you can meet sables, American minks, badgers, steppe polecats, columns and common foxes.

In addition, bird species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation live in the Chinetinsky Reserve: golden eagles, saker falcons, peregrine falcons and eagle owls.

The flora of the reserve includes about 700 species of plants, 18 of them are listed in the Red Book of the Altai Territory: Krylov’s volodushka, linear-leaved hollywort, semilunar grapevine, drip slipper (spotted), large-flowered slipper, Siberian kandyk, Altai gymnosperm, glaucous iris, helmet-bearing orchis, Altai Siberian , Stelleropsis Altai, single-flowered tulip, pinnate feather grass, Zalessky’s feather grass and steppe peony.

It is believed that bears attack people quite rarely and usually animals decide to attack only for the sake of self-defense or out of fear of a person. However, the extraordinary physical strength, powerful teeth and claws of a clubfoot can easily kill a person.

Gosohotnadzor recommends that visitors to nature reserves and forests follow certain rules in case they encounter a bear. The memo can be found here.

Cover photo: USO / iStock