Russia is introducing new regulations to prohibit the hunting of brown bears in their dens in winter and reduce the hunting period, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said on Tuesday.

The new regulations, which will come into force on Wednesday, also prohibit hunting mother bears and their cubs. Bear hunting will be allowed from April 1 until May 31 and from August 1 until November 30.

According to experts, some 2,000 legal hunting trips are organized annually in Russia. Hundreds of mother bears and their newborn cubs are killed in their dens during these trips.

"We are very happy that our efforts against this barbarous bear den hunting were a success. We have been seeking a ban of this type of hunting since 1995," said Maria Vorontsova, the head of the IFAW branch in Russia.

The fund, which was founded in 1969 in the United States, is currently working in 15 countries.

MOSCOW, March 15 (RIA Novosti)