Sloth bear faces survival threat

Kathmandu, July 20: The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), locally called Kathe Bhalu, is one of many species facing survival threats in Nepal. The bear has experienced a massive decline in its population and geographic range worldwide, experts said.

The mammal, listed in the endangered category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is the most fearsome species by people. Every year, many cases of human-bear conflicts are reported mostly from Chitwan National Park (CNP), said a research titled “Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal”.

The research was conducted by a team of wildlife experts including Babu Ram Lamichhane, Naresh Subedi, and Rabin Kadaria in CNP to find out the habitat occupancy of the mammals.

Despite being endangered in Nepal, decades of negligence to the situation has hindered their conservation and management, said Lamichhane, one of the members of the research team.

The research found out the model-averaged occupancy estimate for the sloth bear was 69 per cent and the detection probability was 0.25 per cent. The probability of habitat occupancy by sloth bears increased with the presence of termites and fruits and in rugged, dry, open, undisturbed habitats.

Three species of bears, Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus), and the Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), are found in Nepal. Brown bears occur in the high mountain region, black bears in the middle mountains and sloth bears in the Terai and foothills of Churia in southern parts of Nepal, according to the research.

The sloth bear is sometimes sighted in and around Bardiya National Park, said the chief conservation officer at Bardiya National Park, Bishnu Prasad Shrestha. “They were recorded in camera trapping in the Chure area of the National Park but are not visible everywhere,” he said.

Sloth bears are unique in many ways, particularly because of their fondness for eating termites and ants known as myrmecophagy, the research cited. Their unique biology, ecological role, and evolutionary significance make them a focal point for conservation actions and public awareness of nature conservation.

They are globally vulnerable, and Appendix I species in CITES. In Nepal, they are listed as an endangered species and protected under National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and Regulation, however, current update on sloth bears in Nepal is mostly based on obsolete information or limited incidental information or “ballpark” guesses, the research said.

The IUCN estimates that the sloth bear population has declined by almost 50 per cent and expects this decline to continue rapidly. Their habitat has been lost, fragmented, and encroached for agriculture, settlement, and development of infrastructures, the report said. 

Climate change impacts have further increased threats to the species as the availability of food, water, and other habitat resources has altered. Additionally, sloth bears have been captured from the wild for engagement as ‘dancing bears’  as well as hunted for their body organs and use in traditional medicine, the report said.

On another hand, human death and serious injury from sloth bear attacks are also frequently reported giving rise to human-sloth bear conflicts. 

They are among the most feared animals and one of the key wildlife species responsible for human causalities and injuries in Nepal, because of which local people develop a negative attitude towards their conservation, according to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.