News: The Zoological Survey of India has released a study titled ‘Adaptive spatial planning of protected area network for conserving the Himalayan brown bear’.
About the Species: It is one of the largest carnivores in the highlands of the Himalayas.
Conservation Status:
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Habitat: It occupies the higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan and India, in small and isolated populations and is extremely rare in many of its ranges.
Characteristics:
- Features: They are the largest animals in the Himalayas and are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour.
- Food Habits: Himalayan brown bears are omnivores and will eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals; they also like fruits and berries. They will also prey on large mammals, including sheep and goats.
Threats:
- Habitat loss
- Killing by livestock herders
- Poaching for fur and for the illegal body parts trade
