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A recent study on the Himalayan brown bears has shown that plastics, chocolate and organic food waste was found in 75% of the bears, raising alarm about the increasing plastic pollution and its impact on one of the largest carnivorous animal. The study has led to the beginning of another research where bears will be tagged with GPS radio collars to evaluate the habitat, foraging behaviour, and the factors leading to human-bear conflicts.
The Himalayan brown bear, scientifically named Ursus arctos isabellinus, is one of the largest carnivore species in India with a restricted distribution in the alpine meadows of the Himalayas. Very little is known about its ecology and behaviour in India. The population of brown bears in Kashmir is now severely affected and fragmented in several parts due to tourism, construction activities, livestock grazing, agriculture, settlements, highways, railroad, tunneling and poaching.
Wildlife SOS
Kashmir’s Sonmarg region is a refuge for brown bear habitats, and the unplanned disposal and treatment of waste here is a major concern. The problem prompted a preliminary field study in 2021 by Wildlife SOS, a non-profit organisation working for rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife in distress across India. It was found in the study that 75% of the diet of the bears who frequented human-made garbage dumps included plastic, chocolates and organic food waste.
Aaliya Mir, Jammu & Kashmir program head, Wildlife SOS stated, “Animal range use enables us to understand the habitat they use, corridors, and to know the areas which overlap with human habitation. Thus, ranging studies are essential to understand the fundamental ecology of the species and implement better conservation practices.”
Wildlife SOS
Following the study, Wildlife SOS has embarked on a ground breaking research project in studying Himalayan brown bears under the aegis of the Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department. In an attempt to unveil secrets of the brown bears, the project will entail tagging bears with GPS radio-collars. Some of the primary objectives of the study is to understand the bears’ habitat utilisation, movement pattern, habitats of males and females, activity pattern and hibernation period and identify specific causative factors leading to human brown-bear conflicts in Sonmarg, the Central wildlife division of Kashmir.
In this phase, the field team radio-collared six brown bears, which included four males and two females.
Rashid Y Naqash, regional wildlife warden of J&K wildlife protection department said, “The Wildlife Protection Department has played its part in launching the project and the first phase is already over. We want to see the difference between bears that are socialised in the Thajwas landscape with those that are completely wild, without any human imprint.”
Wildlife SOS
Swaminathan S, senior biologist, Wildlife SOS informed, “The field team used radio collars which provide information on the movement of brown bears using a satellite tracking system. Further, these animals can be tracked on foot using Very High Frequency (VHF) antennae in the field. The GPS and real time monitoring of these collared bears is still on and the results will be compiled after the completion of the first year.”
