Ministry of Natural Resources: Bears in Kirov are going into hibernation

      The department noted that late November marks the time for bears' hibernation. Bears prepare for hibernation throughout practically the entire summer and autumn. In order for a bear to be able to sleep for several months, it needs to accumulate as much fat as possible. Accordingly, intensified feeding during the summer and autumn is the only "food" for the whole winter until their spring awakening.

      Besides fattening up, a bear needs to find the ideal den under tree roots and make it comfortable: insulating it with moss and branches. As experts noted, some bear dens can be passed down "by inheritance."

      By winter a bear needs to slow its metabolism. While asleep, the bear's breathing and heartbeat become infrequent, and its body temperature falls to 30 degrees Celsius.

      Moreover, bear cubs are born in the dens of female bears. For them, such a winter home under the snow is the best protection at the start of life.