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Post by brobear on Jul 6, 2022 3:55:39 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India by Rajkishore Mohanta and Prakash Mardaraj. Himalayan Brown Bear Brown bear species found in India Himalayan brown bear: Ursus arctos Linnacus, 1758; ( In Kalandar language the Sunhera Bhalu. Biology: Brown bears feed on insects, small crustaceans, alpine bulbs and roots of plants, shoots of young grasses, domestic goats, sheep, and voles ( Alticola species ). Brown bears feed actively from 1-2 hours before sunrise and again for several hours in the late afternoon and evening. They are nocturnal, and their sense of smell is acutely developed and believed to be their principle means of finding food. Adult bears normally go into hibernation at the end of October and emerge around the following March or April. They excaqvate their own hibernating lair or den under a large boulder or between the roots of a stunted tree, or they may utilize a natural cavern. Hibernation appears to be intermittent, with the aqnimal occasionally waking up and becoming active. Mating occurs in the spring and early summer. The females give births to generally two cubs ( which ) are blind and weigh no more than one pound at birth. They are covered with short, silky, rather dark brown hairs. Born in January, the cubs stay in the lair with their mother until she first emerges from hibernation in late April, and will remain with their mother for two or three years. Females are believed to breed first at the age of five years. The gestation period is from 180-250 days.
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Post by brobear on Jul 7, 2022 0:37:11 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India continued.... Himalayan Brown Bear Distribution and Status: The Himalayan brown bear is generally restricted to alpine meadow and subalpine scrub zones above the tree-line in the northern mountain regions of India having Dachigam and Kashmir as its limits. The brown bear is uncommon in India and is considered rare. Hence status of population is unknown. International trade in these bears, or their parts, is banned under CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ) and by the Wildlife Protection Act in India. In India, the Himalayan brown bear occurs in the subalpine and alpine regions ( 3,000-5,000 m ) in the Greater Himalayas and in some parts of trans-Himalayan regions in India. Populations of Himalayan brown bear are largely confined to the north-western and western Himalayan ranges ( Sathyakumar, 2001, 2006 ). Very little information exists on the past and present relative abundance of Himalayan brown bear in India ( Sathyakumar, 2001 ).
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Post by brobear on Nov 22, 2022 15:58:13 GMT -5
Baloo is among the main characters in Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' series. In his famous children's books, the bear is referred to as "Baloo the big Brown Bear." Walt Disney brought attention to Rudyard Kipling's books when he created his animated movie version. Of course, in his usual Walt Disney fashion, Walt took liberties with the story line and the characters. Walt Disney proclaimed Baloo as being a sloth bear. I can understand Walt's reasoning. Brown bears do not live in the jungle. Strange though that he had no problem with having the wolves in the jungle. Now, I often read references to Baloo when I am reading about sloth bears. But, regardless of the author's of those books, websites, or documentaries education or knowledge of bears; they are all wrong. Rudyard Kipling, author and poet, wrote the Jungle Books. He and he alone created the character Baloo. Rudyard Kipling made it perfectly clear that Baloo is a brown bear. Since the Himalayan brown bear is the only brown bear native to India, then it makes sense that Baloo is a Himalayan brown bear; also called the 'red bear'. The Jungle Book, 1894; The Second Jungle Book, 1895
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Post by brobear on Nov 26, 2022 2:52:37 GMT -5
There are as many as 15 subspecies of the Brown Bear, out of which we find the Himalayan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) subspecies in India. The Himalayan brown bear is categorised as Endangered in the IUCN Red List, most likely because its wild population is estimated to be around 500-700. wildlifesos.org/animals/get-to-know-your-indian-bears/ As is clear from their name, these bears have a thick fur which is mostly reddish-brown or sandy in colour. Himalayan brown bears are the heaviest and largest of the four bears, with weights reaching a maximum of 550 kg for males. This species is found in higher altitudes across north-western and central Himalayas including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet and west China. In India, they are only found in J&K, parts of Himachal Pradesh and northern Uttarakhand. Himalayan brown bears are omnivorous, with their diet consisting of roots, grasses, insects and small mammals such as marmots and pikas. During autumn, they descend to lower altitudes to feed on fruits and berries. Sometimes they even become opportunistic feeders and take livestock such as sheep and goats when available. Brown bears are diurnal and generally solitary, except during mating and for mothers with cubs. These bears hibernate for the most part of winter and may lose upto one-third of their weight after emerging from hibernation. Today, various hazards pose a threat to the Himalayan brown bears including climate change, habitat loss and man-bear conflicts. But these conflicts occur because their habitats are getting degraded and shrinking day by day. Since 2007, Wildlife SOS has been assisting the J&K Wildlife Protection Department in training workshops in all the divisions of Kashmir as part of capacity building of the department officials. We also conducted awareness programs on waste management since bears were spotted in human habitations, attracted by open dustbins. Lastly, Wildlife SOS also runs two facilities in Dachigam and Pahalgam, which is home to 2 brown bears.
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Post by brobear on Nov 26, 2022 2:53:05 GMT -5
Himalayan brown bear.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Nov 26, 2022 6:43:08 GMT -5
Reply 83. 550kg must be rare and record specimens for the Himalayan brown bear.
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Post by brobear on Nov 26, 2022 7:11:40 GMT -5
Reply 83. 550kg must be rare and record specimens for the Himalayan brown bear. Yeah; good catch OldGreen... Those figures, as we see way too often, are just numbers copied from site-to-site about brown bears in general. 550 kilograms is equal to 1,212.54 pounds. WTH! No Himalayan brown bear ever weighed a half-ton. 550 pounds is possible, but even that unlikely, or at least very rare. This falls under the same problem with data given from site-to-site concerning the moon bear. The record moon bear, the heaviest individual moon bear ever to be actually weighed, was a 440-pound monster of a moon bear. Now, every site gives from roughly 200-pounds to 440-pounds as the typical weight range of a male moon bear. totally ridiculous.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Nov 26, 2022 15:24:02 GMT -5
/\ Why won’t there be unusually large moon bears ir Himalayan brown bears if there are unusually large male Ussuri brown bears, rare as they may be?
Isn’t Van also an exceptionally large individual for a male Peninsula Alaskan grizzly bear.
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Post by brobear on Nov 26, 2022 17:04:35 GMT -5
/\ Why won’t there be unusually large moon bears ir Himalayan brown bears if there are unusually large male Ussuri brown bears, rare as they may be? Isn’t Van also an exceptionally large individual for a male Peninsula Alaskan grizzly bear. One moon bear weighed 440 pounds; that's it. That's the record. Of course there are some moon bears bigger than others. A 350-pound moon bear is a very big moon bear. A 440-pound moon bear is the equivalent to the record 1,656-pound brown bear or the 880-pound Eastern black bear. And yes, some Himalayan brown bears will be bigger than others. Very likely, because of their barren environment, where neither meat nor lush vegetation is planteful, most red bears are likely within the 200 and 300 pound range. A Himalayan brown bear weighing within the 400-pound range is probably quite rare. It is doubtful, giving this matter more thought, that there is even one red bear in the Himalayan Mountains weighing 500-pounds or better.
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Post by Montezuma on Jan 5, 2023 7:59:43 GMT -5
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Post by brobear on Jan 5, 2023 8:04:52 GMT -5
Wow!
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Jan 6, 2023 3:38:37 GMT -5
/\ Brown bears being the most adaptable of the bears can reach huge weights even if small. Most Kodiak bears can reach trophy size if left alone (more than half).
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Post by Montezuma on Jan 6, 2023 4:50:07 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Jan 6, 2023 5:57:12 GMT -5
/\ 880 pounds is actually heavier than an exceptionally large male Ussuri brown bear. Maybe heavier than Chamlid.
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Post by brobear on Jan 6, 2023 6:17:39 GMT -5
/\ 880 pounds is actually heavier than an exceptionally large male Ussuri brown bear. Maybe heavier than Chamlid. Yeah; I've been giving this some thought as well. I know that with a great many online topics, the author simply borrows (steals) information from other sites. The size of any given brown bear subspecies is often simply given the normal size-range of Ursus arctos in general. The question is; are these measurements and weights taken from a biological study or from a random site?
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Post by Montezuma on Jan 22, 2023 8:30:58 GMT -5
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Post by Montezuma on Jan 22, 2023 8:32:36 GMT -5
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Post by Montezuma on Nov 12, 2023 10:36:21 GMT -5
Bad news."No increase in number of Deosai bears worry conservationists"Published 12 Nov, 2023 06:59am
"ISLAMABAD: Amid no increase in the number of brown bears at Deosai National Park over the past three to four years, the conservations have put GPS collars on one female and two male bears to study their behaviour and possible reasons which have led to a halt in their population growth.
The conservationists are concerned as to why the number of brown bears in Deosai has remained stagnant at roughly 75. Anecdotal accounts suggest that “severely disturbed and shrinking habitat” due to increasing human activities and possible in-breeding may be the reason behind this phenomenon.
However, with the help of GPS collars, the experts intend to find the actual reasons as well as their diet, hibernation and territory of these bears.
“It is unprecedented that this level of science is being utilised to study bears’ behaviour. The collars cost around $2,000 and $500 is service fees,” said Vaqar Zakaria, who is assisting Deosai National Park with its management. He is also a former member of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB).
Experts have put GPS collars on three bears to study behaviour; blame increased human activity for disruption in habitat
Before 1993, brown bears were hunted extensively. Its blubber used to be easily available in the markets of Gilgit and Skardu. Its gall bladder was in demand in China and its gentiles were also being sold. They were also captured for the inhumane practice of bear-baiting.
In comparison with its cousin, the American grizzly bear, a Deosai brown bear gives birth to one cub only.
“The American grizzly is also bigger weighing 600kg to 700kg. It can consume up to 25kg to 30kg of rich diet and litter size is three to four cubs every three years,” Mr Zakaria added.
The last survey conducted in 2005, put the brown bear population at 40-45 in the Deosai plains. Some 15 years on, following conservation efforts, the numbers grew to roughly 70. In the last three to four years, their population has reportedly become stagnant.
Conservationists attribute this to an increased human activity. After the park was established in 1993, a policy was drafted to restrict domestic grazing animals to 2,000 to 2,500 sheep in the protected area. Nonetheless, by 2012-13, grazing animals increased to 19,000.
Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, an organisation working for the preservation of wildlife, proposed a plan to restrict shepherds. Despite some progress, by 2020, the population of grazing animals increased again, to roughly 5,000, including horses.
When the park was established 30 years ago, tourist traffic used to be as less as 25 to 40 cars. Today, over 500 vehicles disrupt the quiet in the protected area.
“The disturbance level is extremely high… having an impact on bear population. This is an anecdotal explanation and not based on scientific study. But these are indications why population might be static,” Vaqar Zakria told Dawn.
The big question conservationists are asking again is how best to manage the park, starting with controlling the number of grazing animals and containing tourists in specific areas.
According to conservationists, mother bears need secure areas to stay away from males, who could kill cubs. “A male needs large pockets, at least 5 to 6km territory where it could roam like a king and repel intruders.”
“When humans start claiming territories, they push wildlife to the edges, which then wander into settlements/villages to forage. The core zones where bear population remained undisturbed have also been intruded by shepherds,” he said, adding that there had been incidents when bears had intruded camping sites.
In order to find out the causes behind the stagnant population growth, blood and hair samples taken from the three bears have been sent to international labs to study DNA, ascertain diversity in the gene pool and confirm if in-breeding has caused the stagnancy in their population.
“We are setting a target to increase bear population to 150 plus, in the next 10 to 15 years. It’s an arduous task. The wider gene pool mixing from Deosai all the way to Khunjerab has been disrupted by settlements, causing a disconnect. There are bears on both sides of the Line of Control but they cannot get across. The land is littered with mines and fences. Nonetheless, the GPS collars will help understand bear movement and help identify and set aside conservation areas again and improve management practices,” Mr Zakaria said in an optimistic tone."
www.dawn.com/news/amp/1788522
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Post by Montezuma on Dec 29, 2023 14:39:47 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 30, 2023 2:04:40 GMT -5
Brown bears do not take long to increase. The people just need to take better care of them.
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