The experts studied tissue samples from one of the animals that died in the Kuril Lake area. The study showed that the bear suffered from mycoplasmosis. The disease caused by bacteria is typical of various mammals.
“Mycoplasmosis is quite common in hares. Now there are a large number of them in the region, and it is possible that the carcasses of these animals have become the cause of the infection of bears,” said Artem Nikitin, head of the Veterinary Agency of the Kamchatka Territory.
According to scientists, outbreaks of such diseases in nature are normal. These processes regulate “population waves”, that is, the successive reduction and increase in the number of a given species.
“The decision was made to conduct a follow-up study. We will check all animal carcasses found in the future for the presence of mycoplasmosis to confirm and predict the situation,” added Artem Nikitin.
Recall that the inspectors of the South Kamchatka Reserve recorded the increased mortality of brown bears in the Kuril Lake area in November 2022.
