Brown bears in Estonia spend most of their lives in deep forests, where they eat berries, roots, insects, fish, and sometimes honey from wild bee nests. They are excellent climbers when they are young, but adult bears are so heavy — up to 200 kilograms — that they usually stay on the ground.
In autumn, bears eat enormous amounts of food to build up a thick layer of fat. Then, when winter arrives and snow covers the ground, they find a cosy den — often under a fallen tree or inside a hollow — and sleep for most of the cold months. This long winter sleep is called hibernation.
Bear cubs are born in January or February while the mother is still hibernating. The cubs are tiny when they are born — about the size of a squirrel — but by the time they emerge from the den in spring they have grown fast, drinking their mother's rich milk all winter.
Estonians feel a deep connection to bears. The bear appears in many old Estonian folk tales and legends as a wise, powerful creature. Bear-watching tours in the forest have become popular with visitors who sit quietly in a hide at dusk to catch a glimpse of a bear snuffling for berries.