Do Not Shout ‘Yahoo’ on Mt. Chiree
Thirteen out of twelve Manchurian black bears that are adapting to life in the wild after being introduced to Chiree Mountain have recently begun hibernating.
According to the Korean National Parks Authority on December 27, one of the bears fell asleep for the first time on December 6, which is two weeks earlier than last year. Currently, it is believed that twelve bears have stopped moving, one after another, since the middle of this month when it snowed hard.
Before hibernating, bears eat a lot, including acorns, in autumn to store body fat amounting to twenty to thirty percent of their body weight and then sleep. During the hibernation period, a bear does not need to eat anything and it does not excrete. The last one to sleep is presumed to go into hibernation in early January.
Authorities insist that to protect the habitat of the bears during their winter sleep, mountain climbers at Mt. Chiree should only use designated trails and especially loud noises, like ‘yahoo,’ are not allowed around the area.
Manchurian black bears in hibernation are very sensitive to noise, so they can wake up from the sleep by the sound of ‘yahoo’. The bears could face dangerous situations, such as getting exhausted while awake and looking for another safe place to sleep.
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 / 입력시간: 2006. 12.28. 10:59
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