Wildlife of Siberia: videos of animals from the taiga and beyond

Camera trap footage and eyewitness videos from Siberia

Exploring Wildlife Camera Footage: A Favorite Activity for Nature Enthusiasts and Zoologists

Reviewing footage from wildlife cameras has become a favorite pastime for nature lovers, not to mention zoologists and wildlife researchers. These cameras are widely used around the globe, including in Siberia. They not only help protect wild animals from poachers but also provide valuable data for studying them.

Wildlife Cameras Are Becoming More Popular

As technology improves and internet connectivity spreads, the number of these helpful devices continues to grow. Private individuals, in addition to national parks and government reserves, are now contributing to 24/7 wildlife monitoring in animal hotspots like watering holes and game trails.

Eyewitness Accounts

Tourists, hunters, and amateur naturalists also play a major role in capturing photos and videos of animals in the wild. Every day, hundreds of new wildlife videos are uploaded online, showcasing animal behavior or encounters with humans. These videos range from funny to dramatic, depending on the nature of the animal caught on camera.

Protected Areas in Siberia

The protected areas of Siberia and the Russian Far East are spread across various locations in this region of Eurasia. The northernmost reserve is located on Wrangel Island in the Arctic. In total, there are more than 30 nature reserves and protected areas of different statuses. To fully explore their landscapes and get acquainted with the local wildlife, a traveler would need several months (but it would be an epic adventure across the continent!).

In the Far East, one of the most famous areas is "Land of the Leopard," dedicated to preserving a critically endangered species of wild cats. Other notable reserves include the Barguzin Reserve and Baikal National Park near Lake Baikal, as well as the Altai Reserve further west.

Like nature reserves around the world, these protected areas aim to preserve unique landscapes and ecosystems, especially in habitats of rare and endangered animal species.

Taiga and Its Inhabitants

The term "Taiga" has become an international label for the vast, forested wilderness of Northern Eurasia, primarily made up of coniferous trees and fauna adapted to survive the harsh continental climate (with freezing winters and hot, sometimes dry, summers). The taiga is crisscrossed by countless rivers and streams flowing from the slopes of high mountains, whose peaks are often capped with snow year-round.

Some taiga animals are familiar to people in Europe and North America, like bears and squirrels, which are similar to species in those regions. Various hoofed animals also roam these forests—moose, deer, and roe deer. Some taiga residents are more elusive, like the wild Pallas's cat, which is found only in remote regions like Iran or Tibet. The Amur leopard and Siberian tiger are another story altogether. While they're relatives of jungle and savanna cats, it's unlikely those tropical felines could endure the harsh Siberian winters.

On this page, we collect the most remarkable footage from wildlife cameras and eyewitness accounts of the Siberian and Far Eastern wilderness. The collection is regularly updated, so we invite you to stay tuned for new videos and photos!

Kamchatka: a delicate bear takes just one fish from a huge catch

The men watching the scene are not afraid at all, but laugh approvingly.

Let the World Wait: A Little Bear Cub Has Paralyzed Traffic on a Highway

Wildlife of Siberia: videos of animals from the taiga and beyond

He Managed to Find a Hole in the Road Fence (It's Already Been Repaired)

Far Eastern leopard cub takes to the hunter's trail

Wildlife of Siberia: videos of animals from the taiga and beyond

Video from Novosibirsk Zoo

Woodpecker crash-tests camera trap in Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve

The bird persistently beat the equipment and managed to defeat two motion sensors. Experts say that the black woodpecker (the largest in the reserve) was interested in traps before, but never attacked them.

A bear takes mud baths

This is not only for pleasure - it gets rid of parasites. But it is also quite enjoyable! Video from the Salair National Park

Rare video: a complete family of Far Eastern tigers

Usually the female raises the cubs alone, but here we see the father of the family. Video from the Land of the Leopard National Park

Elegant Cranes

Video from Shushensky Bor National Park

Pallas's cats. Mother and her four kittens in a nature reserve in Altai

The four kittens are about 35 days old. They went for a walk with their mother, who went hunting. The footage was taken in Saylyugemsky National Park

Yak racing in Tuva

If there are real cowboys among our subscribers, they will probably like it. And in general, the spectacle is exciting

Bear Robs Tourist Camp in Kemerovo Region

Luckily, no one was hurt. The predator was satisfied with cookies and the remains of dinner.

Snow leopard in the mountains of Buryatia

A camera trap captured a rare beauty on Mount Munku-Sardyk

Thriller: Human Cemetery as Siberian Bear Restaurant

An old Russian tradition is to leave some vodka and snacks on the grave for the soul of the deceased. Bears are not interested in vodka, but they are delighted with the snacks, especially since they are free.

Love games of snow leopards in the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve

Filmed by a camera trap in the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve.

A snow leopard drives birds away from its prey

Nature Reserve "Ubsunur Basin" in Tuva

A rare predator right next to its prey. The snow leopard's dinner was a Siberian ibex. A rare sight. And there are also bird pests nearby. For the first time we see how a snow leopard is chased by magpies. In our memory, only once in Russia have cameras recorded a snow leopard next to its prey.