Status and Management of Asiatic Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear in India

I review the current status of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos) in India based on a questionnaire, interviews, and a literature survey. The Himalayan region and the hills of northeastern India probably support one of the largest populations of Asiatic black bear in Asia. Asiatic black bears live in forested mountain habitats (1,200-3,300 m) in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura. Asiatic black bears were reported to occur in 53 protected areas (PAs) and in 62 other localities, but their population status is not known. The potential range of Asiatic black bear habitat in India is estimated to be about 14,500 km2, of which <5% is in PAs. Asiatic black bear numbers are decreasing in many areas due to (1) large-scale habitat degradation, (2) poaching for gall bladder and skins, and (3) control to reduce crop depredation. Very little information exists on the relative abundance of Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in India. The Himalayan brown bear occurs in very low densities in the subalpine and alpine regions (>3,300 m) of the Greater and Trans-Himalayan regions in India and has been reported in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal. They are reported to occur in 23 PAs and in 18 other localities. Their potential habitat range in India is estimated at 4,300 km2, of which very little is protected. Questionnaire results indicate that there has been a marginal decline in Asiatic black bear relative abundance, but information for brown bear is insufficient to elucidate a trend. The long-term conservation of both species in India depends on adequately protecting the species and their habitats, reducing habitat degradation, strictly controlling poaching and illegal trade of gall bladder and skin, and in reducing bear-human conflicts.