A brown bear was spotted on a trail camera in Lithuania, not only garnering awesome footage, but also inciting hope for the future of the species in this region.

According to LRT.lt, the photographer, Marek Kislovskij, set up some trail cameras to simply observe nature. On March 31, to his surprise, one of these cameras in a forest near the Belarus border captured the brown bear moseying along.

“When I came to check the camera, I couldn’t believe what I saw at first,” Kislovskij told LRT.It. “I was really surprised to have captured such a shot and, of course, I was thrilled.”

He added it was a bit unsettling to know he had been in the same area as the bear and found it even more interesting that no sign of bears, or their tracks, had been previously noticed in the Šalčininkai district where the animal was seen.

Increasing bear sightings in Lithuania over the last few years are a good sign. An article by the Guardian explored how hunters in this country refuse to kill the animals, as their dwindling population is well-known.

“[Brown bears] were wiped out in Lithuania in the 19th century as a result of hunting and habitat loss,” the article elaborates.

Not only is spotting an extinct or endangered species a magnificent sight for animal lovers, but the return of a native species is often a good sign that the health of a given ecosystem is improving.

Trail cameras like Kislovskij’s are key in documenting endangered or elusive species, which can help scientists improve conservation methods to protect them. Other trail camera sightings include a lynx seen in Colorado and a New Britain goshawk documented for the first time in over 50 years in Papua New Guinea.

When native species are thriving, so is everyone. Native plants keep pollinators happy, and native species all up and down the food chain protect populations – ensuring our food supply, water quality, and world are in line.

Now that the brown bear seems to be making its home in Lithuania again, it’s only a matter of time before we see what else is thriving out in the wild.

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