Vitaly Nikolayenko
Encyclopedia
Vitaly Nikolayenko was a Russia
n self-educated natural scientist and photographer notable for his extensive research on the ethology
of Russian bears. He spent 33 years living with the Brown Bear
s (Ursus arctos) native to the Kamchatka peninsula
. He was found dead in December 2003 at the Kronotsky
state reserve, one of two managed by the federal government, 110 miles (177 km) north of Petropavlovsk
. Authorities concluded that the cause of death was an apparent bear mauling.
Reserve, Vitaly Nikolayenko battled illegal hunting and fishing in the reserve. His patrols kept him in the wilderness
for months on end. He routinely spent each day from dawn to dusk following bears, documenting their feeding, mating, and social habits.
, Kamchatka Brown Bear
s, regularly filling what became hundreds of journals, a body of work viewed as one of the most important biographical records of brown bear behaviour in existence.
Nikolayenko walked more than 620 miles (998 km) a year through the remote river valleys and coastal plains of Kamchatka, where approximately 15,000 brown bears are under increasing threat from foreign hunters and poachers. He documented an average of 800 bear contacts each year.
For over 20 years, Nikolayenko followed an enormous male he named Dobrynya, forming such an easy bond that the bear would often curl up to sleep just a few feet from him.
Nikolayenko also documented several lucky escapes during his time with the bears. He described how he had fallen down bluffs to avoid charging bears and been chased up trees.
He helped conduct an inquiry after Michio Hoshino
, the renowned Japanese
bear photographer, was pulled out of his tent and eaten by a bear in 1996 in the southern reserve, a more remote region neighbouring the 2.8 million acre (11,000 km²) Kronotsky state reserve where Nikolayenko was based.
, and a search team was dispatched.
On 1 January 2004, Russian authorities announced that the body of Nikolayenko, 66, had been found at a lake near his remote one-room hut on the Tikhaya River. The 6½-inch pawprint of a medium-sized male bear was found next to his body, along with an empty can of pepper spray
with which Nikolayenko had apparently tried to defend himself.
Victor Rebrikov, a tourism guide and longtime friend of Nikolayenko who was on the search team that found the body, said it appeared that Nikolayenko had followed a large male bear to the small, spring-fed lake that lies less than a mile from the hut.
"Vitaly must have begun to take pictures of the resting bear, but the tree trunks and branches were in the way, and he must have decided to get inside the grove. His footprints lead into the grove after the bear. He approached the bear at a distance of three meters", Rebrikov said.
A large swath of orange pepper spray indicated that Nikolayenko tried to defend himself, and a flare gun was lying next to the body, unfired. Half his body had been consumed. His camera was broken and bloody nearby.
Just two months before, American
bear researcher Timothy Treadwell
and his girlfriend were killed and partially eaten by bears in the Alaska
Katmai National Park.
community, which had an institutionally unfavourable view of his pro-active approach to monitoring bears. His overt familiarity with his subject went against the grain of the more passive method known in the field as "separation" which is largely the consensus in ethologist circles.
Nikolayenko insisted that he never underestimated the bear's potential for ferocity and resisted the urge to ascribe human emotions to the animals. Even Dobrynya, he accepted, probably only tolerated his presence.
But his death was looked upon by his critics as confirmation of their position and the bears who became habituated to Nikolayenko's presence were easy pickings for poachers. At least 20 bears Nikolayenko knew were killed about seven months before his own death.
Nikolayenko also fought a war of words with the man with whom he probably had more in common than anyone in Kamchatka: Charlie Russell
, a researcher who operated in the south Kamchatka reserve. Russell and Nikolayenko clashed when the Russian ranger was called in to review Russell's project.
Nikolayenko strongly objected to Russell's policy of feeding half-grown cubs, arguing that it rendered the research meaningless and had the potential to make the cubs dangerously eager for human handouts. Russell felt the cubs needed the kind of nourishment they would have received from their mother to make them strong enough to fend off predators. The men argued bitterly throughout their acquaintance.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n self-educated natural scientist and photographer notable for his extensive research on the ethology
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
of Russian bears. He spent 33 years living with the Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
s (Ursus arctos) native to the Kamchatka peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. He was found dead in December 2003 at the Kronotsky
Kronotsky
Kronotsky is a major stratovolcano of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It has a particularly symmetrical conical shape, comparable to Mount Fuji in Japan and to Mayon Volcano in the Philippines. The summit crater is plugged by a volcanic neck, and the summit itself is ice capped. It exhibits the...
state reserve, one of two managed by the federal government, 110 miles (177 km) north of Petropavlovsk
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
. Authorities concluded that the cause of death was an apparent bear mauling.
Biography
A senior ranger on the Kronotsky WildlifeWildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
Reserve, Vitaly Nikolayenko battled illegal hunting and fishing in the reserve. His patrols kept him in the wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
for months on end. He routinely spent each day from dawn to dusk following bears, documenting their feeding, mating, and social habits.
Interest in bears
He compiled one of the most exhaustive documentaries on the giant, 9 feet (3 m) cousins of the North American grizzly bearGrizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, Kamchatka Brown Bear
Kamchatka Brown Bear
The Kamchatka brown bear , also known as the Far Eastern brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear, native to the Anadyrsky District, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Karaginskiy Island, the Kuril Islands, the coastal strip west of the Sea of Okhotsk southward to the Stanovoy Range and the Shantar Islands...
s, regularly filling what became hundreds of journals, a body of work viewed as one of the most important biographical records of brown bear behaviour in existence.
Nikolayenko walked more than 620 miles (998 km) a year through the remote river valleys and coastal plains of Kamchatka, where approximately 15,000 brown bears are under increasing threat from foreign hunters and poachers. He documented an average of 800 bear contacts each year.
For over 20 years, Nikolayenko followed an enormous male he named Dobrynya, forming such an easy bond that the bear would often curl up to sleep just a few feet from him.
Nikolayenko also documented several lucky escapes during his time with the bears. He described how he had fallen down bluffs to avoid charging bears and been chased up trees.
He helped conduct an inquiry after Michio Hoshino
Michio Hoshino
was a famous Japanese-born nature photographer. He originally hailed from Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.Called one of the most accomplished nature photographers of his era...
, the renowned Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
bear photographer, was pulled out of his tent and eaten by a bear in 1996 in the southern reserve, a more remote region neighbouring the 2.8 million acre (11,000 km²) Kronotsky state reserve where Nikolayenko was based.
Death
In the winter of 2003, Nikolayenko had been out in the wilderness much longer than planned, probably because not all of the bears had yet gone into hibernation. He had been waiting for a helicopter flight out of the reserve and was last heard from in late December 2003. When a helicopter did eventually arrive to pick him up, the crew found no sign of the researcherResearcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
, and a search team was dispatched.
On 1 January 2004, Russian authorities announced that the body of Nikolayenko, 66, had been found at a lake near his remote one-room hut on the Tikhaya River. The 6½-inch pawprint of a medium-sized male bear was found next to his body, along with an empty can of pepper spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
with which Nikolayenko had apparently tried to defend himself.
Victor Rebrikov, a tourism guide and longtime friend of Nikolayenko who was on the search team that found the body, said it appeared that Nikolayenko had followed a large male bear to the small, spring-fed lake that lies less than a mile from the hut.
"Vitaly must have begun to take pictures of the resting bear, but the tree trunks and branches were in the way, and he must have decided to get inside the grove. His footprints lead into the grove after the bear. He approached the bear at a distance of three meters", Rebrikov said.
A large swath of orange pepper spray indicated that Nikolayenko tried to defend himself, and a flare gun was lying next to the body, unfired. Half his body had been consumed. His camera was broken and bloody nearby.
Just two months before, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bear researcher Timothy Treadwell
Timothy Treadwell
Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, amateur naturalist, eco-warrior and documentary film maker. He lived among the coastal grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska, USA, for approximately 13 summers...
and his girlfriend were killed and partially eaten by bears in the Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Katmai National Park.
Controversy
Despite making a life's work of harassing poachers and monitoring bears, Nikolayenko was a polarising figure within the naturalistConservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
community, which had an institutionally unfavourable view of his pro-active approach to monitoring bears. His overt familiarity with his subject went against the grain of the more passive method known in the field as "separation" which is largely the consensus in ethologist circles.
Nikolayenko insisted that he never underestimated the bear's potential for ferocity and resisted the urge to ascribe human emotions to the animals. Even Dobrynya, he accepted, probably only tolerated his presence.
But his death was looked upon by his critics as confirmation of their position and the bears who became habituated to Nikolayenko's presence were easy pickings for poachers. At least 20 bears Nikolayenko knew were killed about seven months before his own death.
Nikolayenko also fought a war of words with the man with whom he probably had more in common than anyone in Kamchatka: Charlie Russell
Charlie Russell
Charlie Russell is a Canadian naturalist famous for his study of grizzly bears. He is the son of the well known hunter, guide, film maker, and naturalist Andy Russell....
, a researcher who operated in the south Kamchatka reserve. Russell and Nikolayenko clashed when the Russian ranger was called in to review Russell's project.
Nikolayenko strongly objected to Russell's policy of feeding half-grown cubs, arguing that it rendered the research meaningless and had the potential to make the cubs dangerously eager for human handouts. Russell felt the cubs needed the kind of nourishment they would have received from their mother to make them strong enough to fend off predators. The men argued bitterly throughout their acquaintance.