VTB Bank and the Nature Defenders Fund will construct a wildlife rehabilitation center in the Kamchatka Territory. The 79-hectare facility will be located in the Yelizovsky District near the village of Razdolny, with operations scheduled to begin in 2027. The project was officially introduced at the Eastern Economic Forum as a collaborative effort to protect regional biodiversity.
The decision to establish the complex stems from a high rate of human-predator conflicts in the region. Over the past year, Kamchatka recorded more than 600 instances of brown bears entering populated areas – traditionally resulting in the culling of animals deemed a threat. The new facility provides an alternative approach by offering medical treatment and temporary isolation for wildlife involved in these incidents.
A core mission of the center is the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned bear cubs. The site will be equipped with specialized enclosures, a veterinary unit, and dedicated feed storage. Specialists will raise the cubs using protocols developed by biologist Valentin Pazhetnov, which strictly minimize human contact. This methodology ensures the animals retain their natural instincts before being reintroduced into the wild. If a bear cannot survive independently after the recovery period, it will be transferred to a permanent sanctuary.
The project is a key component of the “Bear Land” environmental program, active across Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and the Magadan Region since the spring of 2026. Beyond infrastructure development, the initiative includes comprehensive public education campaigns. By investigating the root causes of bears entering human settlements and implementing proactive preventive measures, the program seeks to achieve a substantial decrease in human-wildlife conflicts.