EN
The young of brown bears Ursus arctos Linneaus, 1758 are sometimes orphaned and found by humans. People and authorities often want to help these young survive by taking them into captivity. We report on the fate of five young-of-the-year brown bears in two litters that lost their mothers in May and September. We left food for one of the two cubs that were abandoned in May after the other one had died. He was shot four years later and had a normal weight at that time. The other three lost their mother in September, probably to illegal hunting. One was lighter than normal the following May and died that year. The two others are still alive at almost six years of age, and have shown normal growth and reproduction. We conclude that young-of-the-year brown bear cubs in Scandinavia can survive well on their own from the beginning of July, and recommend that they be left where they are found.