We characterized the dietary pattern of Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus from three seasons in Namdapha tiger reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Eighty ive scat samples were collected between August 2008 and November 2010. Scats were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to determine the food composition of sun bear in the region. he contents were manually separated and examined. Cumulative frequency was used to determine the contribution of food items in the diet of sun bear. Malayan sun bear was observed to feed on a wide variety of food items. Coleoptera were the most frequently occurring food item in their diet. Sun bear consumed 10 plant species. he items/species area curve was developed to ind the minimum number of scats required to study the dietary composition. Food of animal origin comprised of the class Arachnida, Insecta, Mammalia and Osteichtyes. Sun bear were also found to feed on 15 families of insects that were mainly from the order Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Isoptera. Among 15 families, 14 insects were identiied as regular food items of sun bear in the study area. Presence of rodents and scorpions in food of sun bear was also recorded. Among these, 8 families of beetles (Coleoptera), one family of stingless bee (Apidae), one family of ants (Formicidae) and one wasp (Vespidae) could be identiied.
Abstract. Mardaraj PC, Pirie TJ, Sethy J, Behera S. 2023. Community stance towards sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) conservation in Odisha, India. Biodiversitas 24: 2521-2526. The human dimension is an essential component of extensive carnivore management and conservation. People living in bear habitats often fear encounters with these animals, and negative interactions can significantly affect people's livelihoods, attitudes, and tolerance toward the conservation initiatives of bears. To investigate the effect of such interactions on people's attitudes and livelihoods, we surveyed 510 households through semi-structured interviews located around five reserve forests of the Nilgiri wildlife range in a coastal district of Odisha, India. Gender, education, dependency on the forest, and specifics of bear encounters were the parameters taken to know the villagers' attitudes toward bear conservation. The average age of respondents was 46 (17-88) years; 78.8% (n= 402) were male. There are 37.5% of the respondents below the poverty level with annual incomes less than $ 514 USD. The majority of respondents, 85%, showed favorable opinions regarding sloth bears (Melursus ursinus Shaw, 1791), with only 15% expressing a negative perception. Bears were encountered by 87% of the total participants, with 45% encountering a sloth bear weekly. The study identified that 82.9% of villagers were more likely to state sloth bears were problematic rest disagreed with it. The educated interviewer was strongly supporting bear conservation in that landscape. The perspectives of the villagers and their experiences on their adverse feeling toward the bears need to minimize through suggested participatory and community-based mitigation strategies for long time conservation of the sloth bear in the landscape.
Anthropogenic activities are a matter of serious concern in the Indian Himalayan region due to adverse impacts on wildlife and habitats. This study examines resource use patterns by local people in relation to the habitat of Malayan Sun Bear in and around Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram. Standard questionnaire surveys and vegetation sampling methods were used for data collection and analysis. It was found that 221.3 km2 (33.3%) of the forested areas have high human interference in the form of logging, indiscriminate tree falling and fuel wood collection, while 26% was moderately affected and 18% of the reserve had no impact. Among vegetation resources, fuel wood was used in the highest quantity (28%) followed by bamboo and edible plants (21%) and (11%), respectively. Ethno-zoological usage comprises of parts of animals like snake, bear, monitor lizard, and porcupine. Sun bears were considered pests that feed on maize, cucumber, sweet potato and pumpkins grown in ‘jhum’ crop fields. Anthropogenic pressures from farm-bush hunting, monoculture, and unplanned roads have contributed to severe biodiversity loss, and must be constrained for the conservation of sun bear and their habitat in the region. The Land Use/ Land Cover on human built-up, jhum land (current and abandoned jhum/shifting cultivation), forests (dense and open), bamboo forest, plantation etc. were used to develop maps for each village. The land use pattern for the eight villages studied. Information obtained from MIRSAC and its mapping in Arcview shows that highest number of agricultural land was in villages of West Phaileng (319sq.ha) and Damparengpui (283.8sq.ha). Closed or dense forest was in highest proportion in Phuldungsei and least in Tuipuibari (120sq.ha). Grazing activities was relatively low or absent in most part of DTR. Abandoned jhum fields were in largest number in Damparengpui (939.60sq.ha) followed by Silsuri (881.17sq.ha) and Serhmun (880.99sq.ha).
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Abstract. Malayan sun bear is one of the least known species, the population of which has dramatically decreased. Their habitat loss was considered the main reason for the decline during the last decade, but their habitat preferences are still not well known. The habitat use by sun bear was assessed based on direct sightings and indirect evidences such as claw marks, scats, nests, dens, digging sign and foot prints etc. in Namdapha Tiger Reserve. Six variables, namely elevation, slope, vegetation cover, distance to water, human disturbance and terrain type were used to measure habitat conditions for the bear sign locations sampled during the field surveys. The data on habitat use by sun bears collected from the 430 sample plots along the 43 transects showed maximum number of plots with bear signs in Tropical semievergreen forest. Although sun bears showed some preference for Tropical semi-evergreen forest and Tropical wet-evergreen forest habitat categories, but as such there was no preference or avoidance by bears for rest of the habitat types. Among various habitat categories, the proportional availability of Tropical semi-evergreen forest was found to be highest. In comparison to the availability of various habitat types, the expected use of these habitat categories was found in proportion. The habitat use by sun bear was assessed based on direct sightings and indirect evidences in Namdapha tiger reserve. Six variables, namely elevation, slope, vegetation cover, distance to water, human disturbance & terrain type were used to measure habitat conditions for the bear sign locations sampled during the field surveys. The habitat use based on density of bear signs per hectare was highest in Tropical semi-evergreen forest (0.271), followed by Tropical wet-evergreen forest (0.257), Semi-evergreen forest (0.195) Mix forest (0.139), Temperate forest (0.112) & Bamboo forest (0.027). Habitat used by sun bear were calculated using of fixed kernel method. Therefore its habitat composition resembled more that of the landscape, and comparison between K95 and the study area revealed better habitat selection within the landscape (second order selection). The proportions of two common habitat types (fields and spruce forests) differed between the core areas used in the study. Comparison between the smallest core areas (K50) and (K99) revealed best habitat preferences within the home range (third order habitat selection). Comparing the distribution of individual location points in different habitats to the habitat composition of home ranges did not reveal habitat preferences of sun bear.
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