Wildlife and conservation new, wild travel information and links for booking
In 2015, the population of this rare seal species is thought to be just 700 individuals in 3-4 populations, in the Aegean Sea, the archipelago of Madeira and the Cabo blanco area in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be the world’s rarest pinniped species. This is the only species in the genus Monachus.
We are eager to help grow the tourism for this area, please fill in the form on the home page “list your wild place” this will build you page
It is the only native seal to Hawaii, and alongside the Hawaii Hoary bat, are the only 2 native mammals. Unfortunately, it is endangered, with just 1400 individuals living in the wild. The majority of these seals live on the outer islands, with the main island population being as low as 150.
These seals have lived on the islands for millions of years, so it is a native seal, not a local arrival. Due to the large distance to other land, these seals have been isolated from other seals for a very long time.
Please get in touch with the “list your wild place” on the home page if you work in tourism for this species. We are keen to help people know about you and what you can offer.
Also known as the West Indian seal and the sea wolf, this species of seal is the first to be lost in recent times. It is thought that it is a mixture of overfishing and direct hunting for seal oil which did it.
The last confirmed sightings of a living specimen was in 1952.
They are (or were) hunted by great white sharks, Galapagos sharks and tiger sharks.
Unfortunately, nothing can save this species, or indeed bring it back, which means that the area cannot benefit from tourism for this species
Pinnipeds is the extended seal family. This includes 34 species. Many of these are quite similar, but there are clear families within the clad.
First divide is between seals with external ears and those without.Â
Earless seals are then divided between northern hemisphere (phosinae) and southern hemisphere (monachinae), while the eared seals are divided between fur seals and sea lions (Otariidae ) and the walrus (only member of Odobenidae).
                                                      Earless seals                                                                                                             Eared Seals
So Dealing with these families one by one, we will start with the family Moarchinae
This contains the Monarchini genus (which consists of the monks seals), Miroungini (which consists of the Northern and Southern Elephant seal) and finally Lobodontini (which consists of 4 seal species, the Ross seal, Crabeaters seal, and the closely related species the Weddled seal and the Leopard seal)
The other family in earless seals is Phocinae. The bulk of the seals in this group lie in the genus Phocini. Only the Bearded and Hooded seal lie in this group but outside this genus
And lastly Walrus
In many places, these species are relatively easy to find, whether you need to take a boat trip, or merely go for a walk along the right stretch of shore. We are keen to help seal tourism worldwide, do reach out, and we can promote your tourism. You will find a form to fill in at the top of the page, under list your wild place.
Also, there is a plugin on each page, which should show news related to each species.
The Asian black bear or moon bearÂ
Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear here, and a list of posts we have published on bears will appear below these.
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Also known as the white chested bear and the moon bear, the asiatic black bear is found in the Himalayas, southeastern Iran, the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, the Korean Peninsula, northeastern China, the Russian Far East, the islands of Honshū and Shikoku in Japan, and Taiwan. It is thought that around 50,000 remain in the wild.
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This species does not do anywhere as well as the American black bear, but it should be able to bounce back if poaching for various substances were to end. Should you work in conservation or tourism about this species, we are eager to work with you. If you work in conservation, do join us as a member as we would love to be able to publish any interesting updates that you might want to publish.
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We are keen to list any people who work in ecotourism in areas where this bear lives, do get in touch , we would like to help people find you and make the bears worth having living nearby.
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The only bear of South America, as the last of the short-faced bears is closest relative is a bear now-extinct that once lived in Florida. Another aboreal species, a spectacled bear is a great climber, and their range covers basically the entire andean mountain range. It is not thought that more than 2000 bears remain. While not accurately depicted in pictures, this is also the species of bear that Paddington Bear was. Rare to see and hard to find, there is nevertheless an increasing market place forming around tourism. No more than 2000 remain.
Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear here, and a list of posts we have published on bears will appear below these links
Sun bears are found in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. The range of the sun bear is bound by northeastern India to the north and goes as south and southeast through Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in mainland Asia to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia to the south. It is the smallest of the bear species, and spends much if it’s time climbing around in trees. Giving this huge range it might alarm you to hear that only 1000 to 2000 of these bears remain.
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Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear here, and a list of posts we have published on bears will appear below these links
Panda bears are unique amongst the bears, having become a vegetarian species. This means they are of great interest. They also survive only in China, despite the fact that it is the most populace country in the world.
A huge reserve is being created, which should connect most panda populations.
The only bear which has adapted a totally vegetarian diet, Panda bears are well known partly as a result in their face being the mark of the charity WWF, though it’s also likely that China’s panda diplomacy has had something to do with this. Eating almost exclusively bamboo they have a very restricted range in the mountains. Through much effort the current population is 2060 strong. While very expensive and needing high level of fitness, treks to see the Panda can be arranged.
Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear here, and a list of posts we have published on bears will appear below these links
There are 2 subspecies, with the split thought to have occurred around 300,000 years ago.
The standard panda is the one that we all know well. This is the black and white stereotypical panda that we are all familiar with.
These pandas are generally found within Sichuan province in China.
The population of both subspecies of panda is nearly 1900, which means that the population of this subspecies must number between 1600 and 1700. However, as always, we are operating on subspecies so its hard to be sure.
Below, I have included 2 videos of the more common giant panda.
The Qinling panda, is restricted to the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi at elevations of 1,300–3,000m. These pandas have a brown and white pattern (though largely in the same arrangement.
The population is thought to number 200-300 though numbers are not certain.
Below, I have included 2 videos of the Quinling panda.
Thought to have a population as high as 600000, the American black bear is far and away the most numerous of the world. As omnivores they are highly effective hunters, however the number of current black bears may be higher than it should naturally be. This is because humans killed most of the wolves and grizzly bears in the USA. As a result black bears who are lower on the food chain have been filling in an ecological niche at the top. In areas where wolves or grizzly bears returned the black bears suddenly become far less problematic.
Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear at the bottom of the page, below the video, and out list of all articles which mention this species. Should you run some sort of black bear watching tourism of any kind, do add your details, and your destination will appear at the bottom of the page.
With it’s range originally encompassing the whole of Europe, much of Asia, most of North America and the atlas mountains of Africa (the only native African bear), it has unfortunately been in decline for some time. These days the bear habitat consists of Alaska and parts of Canada as well as northern regions of the USA, relict populations in Western Europe though they still have a stronghold in Eastern Europe and and Russia as well as sections of central Asia. Highly intelligent they have never lived at high densities, as members high on the the food chain, few places can support large populations for long. With their impressive intelligence, and inquisitive nature, the can be tough to live alongside. With all that in mind brown bear watching can be an enjoyable pastime in many different places. Around much of the world there are newer hides in places that bears still exist – these allow you to watch bears in their natural habitat. We currently only have one listed (it’s will with a visit, link below) but we are always keen to list many more.
There are many places where bears live happily live alongside humans and are rarely seen.
Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home. These will be done by country (visit the tabs below). Below this, is a list of any articles that have been written on this species, below that will be links that we have to see bears yourself.
Spanish bears have done incredibly well, over the last few decades. There are 2 areas of the country where the bears exist. One is in the Pyrenees, and the other was in the Cantabria mountains. In the 1990s
Cantabria
The Cantabria bears population fell to just 50 bears in 2 populations in the mid 1990s, though oddly hunting was banned in 1973, so it took around 20 years for the population to stop falling – put down to illegal hunting and poaching (I am not sure what the difference is between illegal hunting and poaching (the difference is that poaching often catches the animal alive). What was more concerning, was that there was only a handful of breeding females in the whole population. This population has grown very fast, the current population officially is around 370 strong (250 in the west, and 120 in the east with a gap of 40-50km however, it has been shown that bears have been moving from the large to the smaller population with relative regularity suggesting it cannot be too hard). Many people suggest that the population might be as high as 500 (It is good to under-estimate the population, as it allows the population to naturally grow to its previous size).
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees mountain chain run along the border between France and Spain, and in the early 20th century, there were around 150 bears in this population. This was reduced to 70 by 1954. By the 1990s, bears were missing from the central Pyrenees, which split the population, making both populations too small to retain significant genetic variability. In 1996, the French government introduced 3 bears from Slovenia (these are exactly the same subspecies, and the population was only split in modern times. Before this, there was just 7-8 living in the western part of the mountain range. Further reintroductions were made:Â Â five in 2006, and two in 2018. This new genetic material, allowed the population to recover, and at the current time, the Pyrenees population is estimated at 83 as of 2023. In recent times, the bear population has been growing at 11% per year. Being spread along the border, it is impossible to clearly differentiate a Spanish population and a French population.
In May 2019, a brown bear was spotted in Portugal for the first time since 1843, confirming the return of the species to the country. The bear was spotted in Montesinho Natural Park, in the Bragança region of northeast Portugal, close to the Spanish border. The bear likely came from the western Cantabrian Mountains in Spain, where the brown bear population is slowly increasing. This is perfectly normal behaviour, as the male bears disperse some distance to avoid inbreeding.
Having said this, when I was there back 5 years earlier, 3 bears were being seen from time to time, around the Sierra de Culebra, right on the Portuguese border. As such, it is quite likely that bears have been crossing this border for some time, even if locals were unaware.
Given time, it is quite conceivable that this population will grow and become a permanent presence in the country – so long as it is allowed to be. It should be noted, that while bears can be a nuisance, it is an opportunistic omnivore. Eating mainly plants, roots, fruit, berries and nuts, its mostly vegetarian diet is supplemented by insects, eggs, honey, fungi and carrion. Given the presence of wolves in Portugal, the bear is capable of living alongside humans far easier than wolves. It is true that they have an annoying habit of breaking into bee hives, but that is little compared to the occasional livestock kill.
French bears have not done well, having come to the edge of extinction before a number of bears were translocated to the mountain range from Slovenia.
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees mountain chain run along the border between France and Spain, and in the early 20th century, there were around 150 bears in this population. This was reduced to 70 by 1954. By the 1990s, bears were missing from the central Pyrenees, which split the population, making both populations too small to retain significant genetic variability. In 1996, the French government introduced 3 bears from Slovenia (these are exactly the same subspecies, and the population was only split in modern times. Before this, there was just 7-8 living in the western part of the mountain range. Further reintroductions were made:Â Â five in 2006, and two in 2018. This new genetic material, allowed the population to recover, and at the current time, the Pyrenees population is estimated at 83 as of 2023. In recent times, the bear population has been growing at 11% per year. Being spread along the border, it is impossible to clearly differentiate a Spanish population and a French population.
There were once bears in the French alps as well, but the last one was shot in 1936. There are bears in the alps, but it appears that there is not a permanent
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees mountain chain run along the border between France and Spain, and in the early 20th century, there were around 150 bears in this population. This was reduced to 70 by 1954. By the 1990s, bears were missing from the central Pyrenees, which split the population, making both populations too small to retain significant genetic variability. In 1996, the French government introduced 3 bears from Slovenia (these are exactly the same subspecies, and the population was only split in modern times. Before this, there was just 7-8 living in the western part of the mountain range. Further reintroductions were made:  five in 2006, and two in 2018. This new genetic material, allowed the population to recover, and at the current time, the Pyrenees population is estimated at 83 as of 2023. In recent times, the bear population has been growing at 11% per year. Being spread along the border, it is impossible to clearly differentiate a Spanish population and a French population on the French sideof the mountain range.
While Switzerland does not have a resident population of brown bears, there are occasional sightings of bears that immigrate from Italy. The last indigenous bear in Switzerland was shot in 1904.
Bear plan
In 2006, Switzerland implemented a “bear plan” to promote coexistence between humans and bears. This plan includes killing bears that pose a risk to humans, such as those that frequently enter human settlements. Having said this, in practice, in recent years, it has often meant that any bear which enters Switzerland and does not leave quick enough has been targeted. Thankfully being wild animals, they have often left on their own
Bear sightings
Bears have been spotted in the cantons of Bern, Grisons, Lucerne, Nidwald, Obwald, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, and Valais.
The notorious brown bear known as M13 has been killed. He was shot in the early hours of Tuesday, after it proved impossible to keep him away from human settlements, the Federal Office for the Environment announced on Wednesday. M13 was the only bear known to have been living in Switzerland.Â
A male bear born in Italy in 2013, M29 is believed to have crossed into Switzerland in April 2016. He was spotted a few times before disappearing in September 2017. It is not clear what happened, but very often when a bear disappears, that means that it has been illegally killed (though we can hope he simple left of his own accord).
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The Marsican brown bear is one of the surviving populations of bears in western Europe. At the current time, there are an estimated 50-60 bears living in the mountains, though only 10-12 of these are females of breeding age. In 1980s there were 100 bears in this region. However, if we could reduce the death rate, each breeding female, is capable of producing up to 3 bear cubs, every couple of years. This means that we can expect as high as 15 bear cub births a year, or an increase of 25% in the population.
The Marsican brown bear, also known as the Apennine brown bear, lives in a range of about 5,000 to 8,000 square kilometers in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. This range includes:
Having gone extinct back in the 19th century, one might wonder why I have included it on this list. The closest population is in trentino in Italy, however, there have been many reported sightings, and given bears habits of dispersing hundreds of miles, this is not impossible to believe. While likely a shock to the people of Germany, and possible that the German government would choose to kill any bears that settled, Germany has plenty of wild space, after all, the country now hosts 1200 wolves.
Brown bears are roaming into the country, with increasing frequency, but none have as yet settled within the country.
However, while there is less wilderness in Hungary than many ccountries in Europe, meaning this population can only grow slowly.
