Why Are There No Bears in Britain?

Why Are There No Bears in Britain?

There are 8 species of bear that live across the globe however Britain doesn’t have any wild bears roaming its countryside. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, around 7000 years ago there were thought to be more than 13000 brown bears in Britain. They fed on large mammals like deer, elk, and bison as well as consuming berries and roots when prey was scarce. But as little as 1000 years ago all of the bears disappeared from the British Isles.
So, what happened to Britain’s bears? Where did they go, and will they ever come back?

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#bear #britain #wildlife

[jumpy_bunny]

The scariest part of this video is the thought of being attached to France

[termitesc.aardwolf]

What about Paddington? He's a bear and he's very British.

[helenehoward]

As a Canadian we are taught how to hike safely in bear country. It's very simple as one forest ranger explained: wear bells so the bears can hear you coming, bring pepper spray and look out for bear scat. The question was asked, what does bear scat look like? Well that's easy the ranger replied. It looks a little like human scat however it smells like pepper and has little bells in it.

[williambelford]

Because they were hunted to extinction, that's why there are no bears in Britain.

[gwaithwyr]

The sight of a brown bear in my local woods is the kind of excitement I can do without.

[Mr.Goldtop]

There used to be some in Scotland, but they were all kilt.

[TopFix]

Britain has largely rid itself of any dangerous wildlife of note. The cow is probably the most dangerous land animal there. I would not see any reason why anyone in that situation would ruin it by introducing anything that could attack them while they're on a walk.

[Not-Ap]

The farmers killed off all big game predators that's why. There's old ancient folk tales about Britain being a land of trees, bees, berries, and bears. Then people came and deforested the whole place. They killed off all the large predators slowly as they expanded across the island.

[JustBaileey]

I had this exact conversation with my partner the other day about how British weather sucks and England is depressing but we have no dangerous animals or insects and rarely have dangerous weather.

This video has explained exactly what I thought!

Edit: I am now convinced Google does listen to us and that’s why this showed in my recommended playlist

[RealLifeFactionsLore-izml]

One thing I like about British nature is how safe it is. I think most Brits wouldn’t like this idea of a large dangerous predator roaming our country side. It’s an unnecessary risk. I’m glad our ancestors got rid of them.

[Han-rwev]

I'm not sure I'd want to run into a bear when I'm out for a walk.

[LowellFachau]

Why on earth would we want wild bears on a tiny island like this 😂 the size of Britain compared to where they now regularly dwell is incomparable. I don’t think the woodland trust is ready for brown bears, we’ve still got warning signs for adders.

[lewis]

Immigrant boats to britain❌️ bear and bison boats to britain ✅️

[exAirMover]

As a British hillwalker, I am rather greatful for the fact we have no bears! 😊

[debbiegilmour]

Ancient Roman chroniclers wrote that Caledonian bears were noted for their size and ferocity in the Colosseum.

[matthewzito]

I think people underestimate just how much space animals like gray wolves and brown bears need to survive. They aren't very good at living near people. Meanwhile, the UK doesn't have vast protected wilderness areas like Greater Yellowstone.

[clivemitchell]

I suspect those who want large wild animals returned to Britain's countryside are from urban areas and possibly disagree with livestock and dairy farming or keeping a few chickens. Maybe they would like no speed limits in their streets - they just need to know which precautions to take on the way to school...

[kasperkjrsgaard]

The same reason as why there’s no Brown Bears in Denmark. They killed them.
We, the danes, got wolves now roaming our forests and that to much debate too. The biologist have made claims that in Jutland there should be enough room for about 100 wolves and I’m pretty confident with that number, and more important, I feel completely safe when walking and sleeping in “wolfland”.
Bears however is a different thing. I wouldn’t feel secure in a forest, knowing there was bears there too. They’re just another kettle of fish.
A bear is a predator on a higher level than wolves. A wolf wouldn’t attack you, if you should be so lucky to meet a wolf with cups while the same with a bear could, and most likely would, be fatal.

So to the people on the British Isles, be free to introduce wolves, but stay away from bears. 😅

[rafaelcosta]

I would risk saying the 25% of people saying they are favourable of reintroducing bears in Britain are city dwellers that never leave the concrete jungle.
I doubt that people that live in rural areas and tat go hiking want bears in the countryside.

[Jarrosnshajahwh]

Britains far too overpopulated and over crowded these days, you cannot find wilderness in the UK anymore really 😔