This silver commemorative coin depicting Trans-Caucasian Grey Bear has been issued by the Central Bank of Armenia under the International Program "Wild World of Caucasus". The Program includes animals that are protected under the Red Book of Armenia.
The main area of settlement of Trans-Caucasian Grey Bear is South-East of Armenia, 550-2450 meters above the sea level. Reduction in quantity of this type of bears began first reportable at the end of the 19-th century, and now the reduction has turned into a critical line. The only enemy to this bear is a man. Broadening economic activity and human persecution of this animal make them frequently change their area of settlement.
Since 1969, a licensed hunt for Trans-Caucasian Grey Bear has been officially prohibited.

The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) is a relatively small subspecies of brown bear. This subspecies occupies a large area in western Asia, but its population is declining due to habitat destruction, poaching, and fragmentation of population.

Syrian brown bears were historically found in Anatolia (Turkey), Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Iran, and parts of Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. In the Caucasus, this species is replaced with common brown bear (Eurasian Brown Bear). In Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, Himalayan Brown Bear replaces this species. In southern and south-eastern Iran, it is replaced by Asian Black Bear. It has been suggested that the Syrian brown bear was the type of bear which mauled youths in the book of Elisha in the Hebrew Bible.