HIMALAYAN BROWN BEAR

• Encroachment pushes Himalayan brown bears into Kashmir’s villages
• The Himalayan brown bear is also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-The.
• It is a subspecies of the brown bear occurring in the western Himalayas.
• It is the largest mammal in the region.
• It is omnivorous and hibernates in dens during the winter.

Distribution

The Himalayan brown bear occurs in the western Himalayas from northeastern Pakistan through Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to the Himalayas in central Nepal.

Threats

• The Himalayan brown bear is poached for fur and claws for ornamental purposes and internal organs for use in medicines.
• It is killed by shepherds to protect their livestock.
• Due to the high value of the buransh tree, it is commercially cut causing further destruction to the brown bear’s habitat.

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SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB