Sweden : Groove

Update from our Sweden bear volunteer project

After two days of training and recording den data as one group, we have been let loose and are now on our second day of collecting den data by ourselves, in three groups of two or three people.

Each morning Andrea assigns dens to us, hidden in the forest. We get their GPS position and some background information and then have to work out how to get there, first in the car, mainly on forest roads to advance as close to the den as we can. Then it’s on foot through enchanted, pathless forests, picking our way through wetlands, bolder fields, carpets of moss, over rocks, birds for company. Sunshine and light through the clouds change as we walk and clamber through quiet groves, past springs and fallen trees to our object of desire: a bear den. Sometimes we only have a few hundred metres to go, sometimes one or two kilometres. It’s slow going. You have to pick a path through the trees, watch your direction on the GPS. It slows you down. It’s not a race. You sink into the forest. Deceleration. Sometimes it’s only a few minutes to the den, sometimes an hour or more.

Once at the den, which wants to be found first too, lots of measurements need to be taken. How big is the den and its inside chamber (crawl inside for this)? What bedding did the bear use? What trees make up the surrounding forest? Are there any scratch marks around or scat (collect this). Are there signs of cubs, such as small scratch marks low down on trees, and more. This takes about another hour and is all meticulously recorded. Then back to the car and onto the next den. A group manages between a couple and half a dozen a day, depending how far apart they are in the forest and on the roads.

Back to base in the afternoon for a de-brief session where each group tells the others what they found. Tips & tricks are exchanged, Andrea asks questions, wants to know more. Then data entry into the computer and a well-deserved hot dinner. Some fireplace conversations perhaps, for those who haven’t crashed already. Ready for the next day.

Sweden bear conservation holiday update