No bears are permanently residing in Lithuanian forests, but some occasionally wander in from Latvia or Belarus.

Recently, border surveillance cameras at the Kabeliai (a village in southeastern Lithuania) Border Guard Station captured footage of a moose cub running from a Belarusian forest into the Čepkeliai Marsh (Lithuania’s largest bog), followed by a brown bear.

“Bear populations are expanding in other countries where they have always been historically present – Estonia, Latvia. And there’s not enough room anymore, so they’re migrating south to Lithuania,” naturalist Marius Čepulis said.

Bears also come from Belarus, although the new border fence complicates their journey. Despite this, brown bears still manage to cross, as evidenced by footage from the Čepkeliai Marsh over a month ago showing a bear wandering into Lithuania for a few hours.

“There are at least 4–6 bears in Lithuania at the moment… and there was a very recent face-to-face encounter between a man and a bear, in the daytime, at 11:00,” says Čepulis.

Naturalist Selemonas Paltanavičius notes that as more people flock to forests, especially mushroom pickers, these encounters may become more frequent.

Paltanavičius adds that bears are not yet permanent residents in Lithuania but are exploring possible habitats. Within about a decade, a permanent bear population is likely.

“There is enough food for the bears in our nature, there should be enough peace and quiet, and we have plenty of forests. Therefore, 200 or 300 bears can live well in Lithuania,” Paltanavičius believes.

Čepulis states that naturalists are waiting for the first bears to have cubs in Lithuania.

Paltanavičius mentions that there was a permanent bear population in Lithuania about 150 years ago, and now they are returning to forests that have since changed.

“The key is maintaining peace and quiet, as active deforestation and forest work will drive the bears away. In summer, they will stay in marshy areas where people don’t go, avoiding pine forests,” he says.

Naturalists emphasize that bears and other wild animals tend to avoid humans. However, if one encounters a bear in the forest, it is important to stay calm - do not run, shout, or provoke the bear, and calmly retreat to a safe place.