Elusive Tibetan Brown Bear Spotted for the First Time in India
Camera traps capture rare sighting in Sikkim, adding a new subspecies to India's mammal diversity
According to authorities in the Sikkim forest and environment department, the first verified sighting of the elusive and uncommon Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) in India has occurred in Sikkim.
Trap cameras in the northern section of Sikkim's Mangan district captured images of the Tibetan brown bear in the last month.
The department and WWF-India deployed the trap cameras.
"The rare Tibetan Brown Bear has been found in the beautiful terrain of Sikkim, and wildlife lovers and conservationists are celebrating this ground-breaking discovery. In addition to being an incredible discovery for the region's biodiversity, it also emphasizes how important it is to preserve and safeguard the state's priceless species, the department said in a statement on Sunday.
According to a wildlife specialist, "the discovery adds a new subspecies to the mammal diversity of the country."
According to accounts, throughout the last decades, foresters, engaging with the Dokpas or nomadic herders in the high-altitude regions of Tso-Lhamo plateau and Muguthang, heard tales of a giant unidentifiable animal stealing sugar and oil kept in the herders’ encampment.
In an attempt to locate this elusive species, several surveys were carried out, but to no avail. An thorough camera trap exercise has finally resulted in a breakthrough, the person said.
The Tibetan brown bear differs greatly from the more widespread Himalayan black bear in appearance because to its yellowish scarf-like collar that widens from the shoulders to the chest. Being an omnivore, it often lives in meadows and high-altitude alpine forests that are 4,000 meters or more above sea level.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red data list lists the Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan blue bear, as an endangered species in the Himalayan area.
The species has only been seen in a few locations, including the Tibetan plateau, Bhutan, and Nepal.
It is classified as a Schedule I animal under the 1972 Wildlife (Protection) Act. The expert said that it is listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species as a protected species.
The Sikkim government previously released images of the gaur (Indian bison) and the regal Bengal tiger that were taken at higher elevations in the Himalayan state. These images also created new marks for the highest place on Earth where a tiger was observed and the highest point from sea level in India and the globe.
