HIMALAYAN BROWN BEARS

Himalayan Brown Bear (ursus arctos isabellinus) known as “Dren-Mo” in both, Ladakhi and Tibetan, is one of the most ancient of brown bear lineages. Found in three major mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram and the Western Himalayas, and in four inter-mountain highlands, we can deduce that their favourable habitats range from 9,000 feet (3000 metres) to 19,000 feet (5500 metres) with varying landscape types, such as alpine pastures and rocky mountains, making the higher reaches of the Himalayas an ideal sweet spot for the species. However, their populations are small and isolated, making them extremely rare in many, scattered parts of these mountain ranges. Their shrinking habitats, due to political boundaries, are made smaller by increasing human presence and livestock conflicts.

Once found abundantly in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, India and Baltistan (now in Pakistan), the numbers are not very promising, today. In fact, the Himalayan Brown Bear is now extinct in Bhutan and on the brink of extinction in the Indian sub-continent. It is a protected species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972 Under these acts, hunting or killing this critically endangered species is an offense, punishable with imprisonment of minimum three years (extendable up to seven years) and a minimum fine of Rupees Ten Thousand.

In India, only as many as 15 or 20 Himalayan Brown Bears struggle to survive in their ever-shrinking habitat inside the Kugti and Tundah Wildlife Sanctuaries, in Himachal Pradesh. There have been sightings in parts of Kashmir and Kargil district, along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. However, in these areas, constant human intervention has led to a rapid decline in their natural habitat, especially in the Tiger Hill and Tololing ranges of Drass, due to the Indo-Pak conflict and the shifting borders thereof.

THREATS & CHALLENGES

In the case of Drass, where most of the sightings occur, their natural habitat is shifting and shrinking at the same time. The valley of Muskhow moves towards Gurez and then on to the Deosai plains in Pakistan which is a known bear territory. For centuries Himalayan brown bears have traversed between the high mountains of Karakoram, Hindu Kush and the Himalayas. Constant border conflicts for the last 60-70 years have been a key factor for their dwindling numbers. Bears are omnivorous but mainly thrive on shoots and roots of shrubs in the mountains. Shrinking breeding grounds from one side forces them to travel to the lower reaches in Drass in search of food. With human settlements expanding into the mountain sides, conflicts with humans and livestock attacks are increasing annually.

In Drass, it is noteworthy that almost all of the households in Holiyal and Mushkow have stopped rearing goats and sheep due to the incessant depredation by bears. Goat and sheep rearing is an economic activity for the local community. These livestock are reared with the objective to be sold in the wintertime for consumption when there is shortage of supply in the local market hence, was a major source of income.

HIMALAYAN BROWN BEARS

THREATS & CHALLENGES

STORIES OF NEGATIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN BEARS & HUMANS

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