looduskalender.ee

It  is an important time in the life of brown bears. Female bears become mothers at three or four years and in over sixty dens in Estonia more family members have been born already, or will be born in February. Silence reigns at the winter dens, the silence of the forest and snow. The newly-born are blind, their ear openings are covered with a membrane, they have a sparse „baby fur“, weigh around half a kilo and are quite helpless, but have to develop quickly. The milk of the female bear, with 30% fat, has a high nutritional value and energy content.

 

At a few weeks the ears of the bear cubs open, and they will see at about oine month. When they have their milk teeth three months have passed and spring has progressed so far that the mother bear, now quite awake, judges it suitable to leave the birth-giving den. At that time the bear cubs, weighing up to five kilos, must be able to accompany their mother.