The Saylyugem Bear

[brobear]

'Extinct' bear might have survived after scientists find giant paw prints in Siberian mountains


Scientists have stumbled across proof a white-clawed bear thought to have become extinct decades ago is still surviving in a remote area of Siberia.

The Saylyugem bear, which resembles a Russian brown bear except for its paws, had not been sighted since the 1990s and was given a ‘zero’ rating on the list of endangered species in the region.


But giant paw prints and strange holes in the ground in the shadow of the snowy Altai mountains are seen as the first evidence they did not die out.

Conservationists have mapped more than 20 sites where it appears the bears have been digging in the newly created Saylyugem National Park.

But, as yet, there have been no contemporary sightings of the little-known creature.

Some of the holes were as much as 60cm deep and three metres long, and nearby there was also an unfinished bear den two metres deep.


The Saylyugem National Park was only created in 2010 to help protect the wildlife living near the Altai Mountains, particularly the snow leopard and argali mountain sheep.

Now directors are hoping to learn more about the existence of the bear, seen as a sub-species of the brown bear.

At the end of the 1980s it was thought there were about 70 Saylyugem bears in the wild but there have been no subsequent sightings.

In a scientific paper in 1996 by biologist and researcher Genrikh Sobansky, at Altai BioSphere Natural Reserve, called for the bears to be put on the endangered list.

He has spent more than 50 years studying wildlife in this part of Siberia.


He noted the bears might be relatives of Tien Shan bears - also white-clawed - which live in a similar habitat in mountains bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China.

Saylyugem National Park stretches to a total area of 118,380 hectares and is divided into three separate areas with different protection remits.

Until the park was created, rangers had no way of protecting the area from poachers.

It is open for tourists to visit and explore the animals in the wild, as well as get an understanding of the unique peoples and cultures of the region, where the border of Russia meets China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Foreign visitors are welcome, although they do have to obtain a special visa and additional visitor documents since the region is close to the Russian border.

[brobear]

Probably the rarest brown bear of all.

[King Kodiak]

So the only difference of this brown bear subspecie would be the white claws and giant paws?

[King Kodiak]

Notice that the Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus), is the only known bear in the world to have white claws.

[brobear]

Jan 27, 2019 6:42:05 GMT -5 King Kodiak said:

So the only difference of this brown bear subspecie would be the white claws and giant paws?

White claws like the Syrian brown bear. Big paws because its a big bear. 

[brobear]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3076920/Is-white-clawed-bear-thought-extinct-really-alive-Mysterious-giant-paw-prints-suggest-animal-roaming-remote-Siberian-mountains.html

Is white-clawed bear thought to be extinct really alive? Mysterious giant paw prints suggest animal may be roaming remote Siberian mountains
Saylyugem bear has been sighted since the end of the 1980s
Back then there were about 70 of the animals living in remote Siberia
The animals resemble Russian brown bears, but have white claws

Scientists have stumbled across proof that a white-clawed bear thought to have become extinct decades ago is still surviving in a remote area of Siberia.

The Saylyugem bear, which resembles a Russian brown bear except for its paws, had not been sighted since the 1990s and was given a 'zero' rating on the list of endangered species in the region.

But giant paw prints and strange holes in the ground found in the shadow of the snowy Altai Mountains are seen as the first evidence they did not die out.

Conservationists have mapped more than 20 sites where it appears the bears have been digging in the newly created Saylyugem National Park, reported The Siberian Times.

However, as yet there have been no contemporary sightings of the little-known creature.

Some of the holes were as much as 60cm deep and three metres long, and nearby there was also an unfinished bear den two metres deep.

The Saylyugem National park was only created in 2010 to help protect the wildlife living near the Altai Mountains, particularly the snow leopard and argali mountain sheep.

Now directors are hoping to learn more about the existence of the bear, seen as a sub-species of the brown bear.

It has longer - but less - fur than the brown bear and its claws are white. Some accounts say its colouring is lighter.

There are hardly any pictures of it in existence.

At the end of the 1980s it was thought there were about 70 Saylyugem bears in the wild but there have been no subsequent sightings.

In a scientific paper in 1996 by Genrikh Sobansky, 88, a biologist and researcher at Altai BioSphere Natural Reserve, called for the bears to be put on the endangered list.

[brobear]

Continued... He has spent more than 50 years studying wildlife in this part of Siberia.

He noted the bears might be relatives of Tien Shan bears - also white-clawed - which live in a similar habitat in mountains bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China.

Saylyugem National Park stretches to a total area of 118,380 hectares and is divided into three separate areas with different protection remits.

Until the park was created, rangers had no way of protecting the area from poachers.

It is open for tourists to visit and explore the animals in the wild, as well as get an understanding of the unique peoples and cultures of the region, where the border of Russia meets China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Foreign visitors are welcome, although they do have to obtain a special visa and additional visitor documents since the region is close to the Russian State border.  
    
The Saylyugem bear is a sub-species of the brown bear, with longer - but less - fur.
  
                                                       

[King Kodiak]

Russian beast thought extinct for 60 YEARS 'spotted roaming mountains by stunned tourists'

The Sailugem bear had not been seen since the middle of the last century - with some experts even suggesting it was a mythical creature
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BY WILL STEWART, SOPHIE EVANS
09:39, 25 JUN 2018
This picture appears to show the Sailugem bear 'alive and thriving' in the Altai Mountains
This picture appears to show the Sailugem bear 'alive and thriving' in the Altai Mountains(Image: Kaichi Travel/The Siberian Times)
A rare beast believed extinct for decades has been spotted roaming a mountain range in Russia by stunned tourists.

The Sailugem bear had not been seen since the middle of the last century, with some experts even suggesting it was a mythical creature.

But these remarkable new pictures appear to prove the blond-coloured animal is alive and thriving in the Altai Mountains.

It was found in a remote area, close to a point where the frontiers of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan meet at an intersection.


The blond-coloured creature was spotted roaming the mountain range in Russia by stunned tourists
The blond-coloured creature was spotted roaming the mountain range in Russia by stunned tourists(Image: Kaichi Travel/The Siberian Times)
It had not been seen since the middle of the last century, with some experts even suggesting it was a mythical creature
It had not been seen since the middle of the last century, with some experts even suggesting it was a mythical creature(Image: Kaichi Travel/The Siberian Times)

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-beast-thought-extinct-60-12785389.amp

[King Kodiak]

[brobear]

 Nice find Kodiak.

[King Kodiak]

This is great news brobear, it sounds like the scientists almost confirmed this bear is alive again, or has never been extinct.

The best guess from scientists is that the unstudied beast is a rare subspecies of the brown bear, prolific further north.

[Deleted]

Good to know this bear is still alive.

[brobear]

Youtube:
                                      

[King Kodiak]

That video shows the footage of the pictures of reply#8. Great video Brobear. 
"The leyend of the Altai" is still alive.

[OldGreenGrolar]

Well done brobear. You keep on discovering new species of extinct bears. Keep up the good work.

[brobear]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saylyugemsky_National_Park

Saylyugemsky National Park

Saylyugemsky National Park (Russian: Сайлюгемский (национальный парк)) sits at the mountainous "X" where the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet in the Altai Mountains of central Asia. Because of its remoteness and position at the meeting points of mountains, steppes, desert and forest, it is a globally important natural reserve for biodiversity. The park was formally established in 2010–2012, with a particular purpose of protecting the vulnerable Altai argali mountain sheep and the endangered Snow leopard. The component Saylyugem Mountains are a ridge of the Altai, and stretch to the northeast to the Sayan Mountains. The climate is cold and semi-arid. Administratively, the park is located in the Kosh-Agachsky District of the Altai Republic. While ecotourism has a stated role, visits to the territory currently require special passes from park administration, and activities are limited to roads and trails.

The topography of Saylyugemsky is mountainous; the highest peaks range up to 3,621 metres (11,880 ft) (on the ridge Tabagiyin-Their-Ula), with glaciers on the highest ridges. Overall, the Altai are a high mountain plateau that is deeply dissected by river valleys; in places this takes the appearance of rolling hills or steppe. Spread over 118,380 hectares (457.1 sq mi), the territory consists of three sections. The "Saylyugem" and "Ulandryk" section are located close to each other on the northern slope of the Saylyugem Ridge, with the former sector running along the border between Russia and Mongolia. The third section, the "Argut", is on the spur of the Katun and North-Chuya ridges. The Argut River runs through the territory. The snow line runs from 2,300 meters to 3,200 meters.

While the Saylyugem and Ulandryk sectors have experienced human habitation for millennia - with the attendant grazing and hunting, the more inaccessible Argut sector has stayed relatively pristine. The Altai mountains are at the northern edge of the region tectonically affected by the collision of India into Asia; the area is seismically active, with a major earthquake recently as the 2003 Altai earthquake. The rock types in the mountains are typically granites and metamorphic schists.

The climate of Saylyugemsky is Cold Semi-Arid (Köppen climate classification BSk), which is typical of continental interiors far from large bodies of water. Summers are mild and dry; winters are cold and dry. In Kosh-Agach, the closest town, the average annual temperature is -1.6 °C, with an average of 5.5 inches (140 mm).

The ecoregion of Saylyugemsky is "Altai-Sayan", a WWF Global200 Ecoregion. This is one of the most unusual and biodiverse regions on earth, with a mosaic of mountains, steppe, forest, desert, and other habitats.

The freshwater ecoregion is species-poor: only two species of fish - Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) and Alpine bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) - are found in the mountainous areas, and only four other species in the lakes and rivers in the lower tablelands. There are no endemic species. The park is in the "Chuya" freshwater ecoregion (WWF ID#604), one of the smaller freshwater ecoregions in the world. The rivers of the territory flow into the Ob River drainage basin and ultimately into the Arctic, but the aquatic ecosystem of the park appears to be mostly separate from that of the Ob itself. The rivers and streams of the area have high flow rates and rapids that keep out the migratory fish of lower regions. Because of the remoteness of the area, the freshwater ecosystem is still poorly understood

In the southern sections (Saylyugem and Ulandryk) have vegetation reflecting the type of dry western-Mongolian steppe and desert-steppe habitat found. So far, scientists have recorded 722 species of vascular plants belonging to 66 families and 232 genera; 20 plant species are classified as vulnerable in Russia. The Argut section is more alpine (larch, spruce, fir, birch, poplar, pine) and alpine-tundra in character.

The snow leopard is a primary focus of the park's conservation efforts. An estimated 15-20 individuals live in the territory, with another 50-60 in the buffer areas. They live at the higher elevations in rocky settings, where their stocky bodies and thick fur make them well-adapted. Saylyugemsky is at the northern edge of their range. A primary prey of the leopard are the Altai-Sayan mountain goat (ibex), of which there are an estimated 3,200-3,700 in the park. In 2015, scientists found evidence of a rare Saylyugemsky bear, which had been thought to be extinct in the area for 30 years. Sylyugemsky is the central breeding area of the Siberian mountain goat, with groups of cross-border argali number 500-550 individuals.

The usual ungulates are found - deer and elk - with the musk deer notable because illegal trapping for their musk is done with wire snares that sometimes accidentally entrap a snow leopard.

The ridge is also a breeding area for the endangered Saker falcon, whose numbers have declined in recent years due to poaching. The southern sections of the park have recorded 146 species of birds, including the white-tailed eagle, steppe eagle, golden eagle, bearded vulture, black vulture, griffon vulture, peregrine falcon, lesser kestrel, and Altai snowcock.

[brobear]

Reply #15 shows us that within his territory is the snow leopard. It could be that those ( big ) cats might possibly prey upon juvenile Saylyugem bears. Also within his range are ibex goats; possibly a prey choice if this little brown bear is a hunter.
Greenarctos... check-out the birds of Saylyugemsky National Park. I won't be too surprised if you were to pack-up and go there to live.

[King Kodiak]

Reply #15 shows us that within his territory is the snow leopard. It could be that those ( big ) cats might possibly prey upon juvenile Saylyugem bears.

Interesting and worth researching. But not very likely, much less since the 1990s because the Saylyugem bear was thought to be extinct, there has been only 1 sighting. The snow leopards have very little numbers also, looks like less than 80.

[brobear]

Oct 30, 2020 23:27:53 GMT -5 King Kodiak said:

You already posted that at reply #15 brobear.

yeah; I was searching for a classification. Thus far ( I'm assuming ) no studies have been made. You would think that biologists would be flocking there to do DNA testing and close observation. But apparently not. 

[King Kodiak]

Oct 30, 2020 23:36:22 GMT -5 brobear said:

Oct 30, 2020 23:27:53 GMT -5 King Kodiak said:

You already posted that at reply #15 brobear.

yeah; I was searching for a classification. Thus far ( I'm assuming ) no studies have been made. You would think that biologists would be flocking there to do DNA testing and close observation. But apparently not. 

Yeah, we got nothing on this bear. But a biologist did talk at replies #5, and #6. All we know is that its a brown bear (according to the biologist at reply #6), and has giant paw prints and white claws. No scientific classification at all.