Bear Conservation Around the World

[smedz]

Since we're all bear lovers here, I figured we could talk about bear conservation around the world. Things like why it's crucial to protect bears, what bears mean to people (us included), what people around the world are doing to protect bears, the threats bears face (exclude trophy hunting from this since that thread is locked), etc. 

To start off, there is something I'd like to bring up. No matter where you go, with the exception of Antarctica, there's going to be conflict with wild animals and unfortunately, people are attacked. Now these attacks are caused by protective mothers, people making the animals scared or hurt, or in rarer cases, an animal might become a man-eater. In North America, one tactic used to calm people down is by using statistics. Since 2000, 27 people have been killed by American Black Bears and 29 people have been killed by Grizzlies according to the Klandagi: Puma Rewilding page run by someone who kept track of the numbers. By common sense, this should make people less afraid of these animals. Suprisingly however, this might not work. 

From "The Cougar Conundrum"  by Mark Elbroch 

"Numbers and statistics also do nothing to mitigate people's fears of mountain lions. Contrary to expectation, new research conducted by social scientists suggests that bludgeoning people with statistics on the rarity of attacks may even increase fear of predators rather than reduce it. Media, of course, feeds our fears as well. Too many articles about mountain lions in the media today are local alerts an warnings that mountain lions have been seen in neighborhoods, near schools, or in recreation areas, and so we should keep a watchful eye on children and pets." pages  33-34 

While this is about mountain lions, it's still relevant to bears for obvious reasons.

[Montezuma]

I will tell about Pakistan.

Bears found 

Here i know about Himalayan brown bear and Black bear. Bears in southern regions of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan are mainly black bear while In himalayas himlayan brown bears and himalayan black bears are found.

Attack on humans

Brown bears may sometimes attack camps of people for food and himalayan black bears may attack people due to their aggressive nature. Black bears in southern regions are less agressive and live far away from people so attacks are basically nothing.

Bear Status

Here bears are endangered species and especially brown bears which are in the red list along with Snow leopard and Markhor. Illegial poachers often kill bear mothers and sell their cubs. Black bears and rarely are used in bear dancing in which bears are mostly found in bad condition. The bear-baiting against dogs is even more worse which is a fun game where a bear's tooth and claws are removed and are then pitted against 3 to 4 dogs. Fatal fights happen where the bear and dogs are very badly injurired. It mostly occurs in Sindh on fun-fairs but is banned in southern Punjab.

Bear protection

The himalyan brown bear and himalayan  black bear are very precious bears for Pakistan and they are noow being saved in Denosai National Park in Gilgit Baltashtan. Hopefully they are better now but still not out of the red list. Hunting and bear-baiting is banned and illegal but it still happens yet its low now.

Bear and me

Unfortunately i am not in animal constitution to do something for them. But i will try to safe not only bears but all other animal in my country. And i am hopeful that the population of endangered animal will increase.🙂