NEW DELHI: Large-scale littering in the Himalayas through trekkers and campers have ended in Himalayan brown bears -- a critically endangered species close to extinction -- being interested in human detritus and dropping their natural skills to hunt. Conservationists say such bears rescued just lately from different regions of Jammu and Kashmir will never go back to the wild.
One such "conditioned-animal", a nine-month-old brown endure, was discovered operating haywire with its head caught in a food-can at a campsite for Amarnath pilgrims and hikers in Panchtarini in September. The cub was rescued through the state wildlife protection division, airlifted to Pahalgam and kept under observation for just about two months.
Last week, round December 24, the officials in any case sent it to the everlasting care of a endure rescue centre run with the help of animal welfare organisation Wildlife SOS, the place it is going to spend the remainder of its lifestyles.
"The bear seemed to be an orphan and was living off kitchen waste and garbage. They are opportunist feeders and since there is no proper disposal of kitchen waste, especially at the campsites, they become habituated to this, ultimately losing their natural instinct to hunt," Wildlife Warden (Sourth Division) Intesar Suhail advised IANS.
Besides, due to its dependency at the rubbish, mavens additionally concern the hostility of other people as another threat the bears face.
According to Suhail, this is not the primary such example and he had witnessed a number of bears living off and wandering round rubbish in Dras, the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh, most of that have been dumped round army camps.
As in the remainder of India, solid-waste management may be a subject in the Himalayan state with summer capital Srinagar on my own producing about 450 tonnes of municipal waste on a daily basis. Now, this may be affecting the wildlife.
Good hunters and heavy eaters, brown bears stick with their mothers for the primary two-three years and, sooner than going into hibernation in wintry weather, devour to their full doable. However, once they begin dropping their natural tendencies due to alternative and easily-available meals sources, they prevent hibernating.
"Only wild bears hibernate for about four months as food is limited in winter. However, those under care or those who have become highly dependent on human food waste or crops do not generally hibernate because they are getting their full quota of food," Pankaj Chandan, head, Western Himalayan Landscape at WWF, advised IANS.
Speaking of the shift to alternative meals, he said there is not any shortage of the brown endure's prey-base, which contains bharal or blue sheep or even ants.
Alia Mir, Wildlife SOS Manager in Kashmir, said that despite the fact that the nine-month-old is shipped back to the wild, it is going to perish as it's too dependent at the human-produced rubbish.
"There is no estimate to their population," Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, Wildlife Warden (Central Division), advised IANS.
Lone, on December 27, "re-rescued" a three-year-old Himalayan brown endure from Sonamarg after the animal was discovered raiding vegetation, killing livestock and wandering across the human agreement.
The endure was previous rescued in October and launched into the wild far away from the place it was rescued. It, alternatively, returned, Lone said.
"The bear got used to feeding on manure. Such animals lose their natural instincts and their chances of living in the wild are bleaker. Their ability to find food through hunting is lost," Lone pointed out.
He added that under the Wildlife Protection Act, the priority must all the time be to return a rescued animal to the wild, but this is not all the time the choice in Kashmir, particularly with "seasoned bears", each black and brown.
"It returned and we had no other option but to send it for permanent care at the rescue centre at Dachigam National Park," Lone said, recalling that years back, two extra Himalayan brown bears were rescued and sent to everlasting care. Later they died of previous age.
Now, living their lifestyles away from wild, in two different high-care rescue centres, the nine-month-old endure will proportion its house with two Himalayan black bears at Pahalgam whilst the 3 year-old-will are living along side 4 others at Dachigam.
According to vets, a Himalayan brown endure may are living as much as 35 years in captivity and about 27-30 years in the wild. Apparently, the rescued ones may have a minimum of three many years to conform to their new living arrangements.
One such "conditioned-animal", a nine-month-old brown endure, was discovered operating haywire with its head caught in a food-can at a campsite for Amarnath pilgrims and hikers in Panchtarini in September. The cub was rescued through the state wildlife protection division, airlifted to Pahalgam and kept under observation for just about two months.
Last week, round December 24, the officials in any case sent it to the everlasting care of a endure rescue centre run with the help of animal welfare organisation Wildlife SOS, the place it is going to spend the remainder of its lifestyles.
"The bear seemed to be an orphan and was living off kitchen waste and garbage. They are opportunist feeders and since there is no proper disposal of kitchen waste, especially at the campsites, they become habituated to this, ultimately losing their natural instinct to hunt," Wildlife Warden (Sourth Division) Intesar Suhail advised IANS.
Besides, due to its dependency at the rubbish, mavens additionally concern the hostility of other people as another threat the bears face.
According to Suhail, this is not the primary such example and he had witnessed a number of bears living off and wandering round rubbish in Dras, the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh, most of that have been dumped round army camps.
As in the remainder of India, solid-waste management may be a subject in the Himalayan state with summer capital Srinagar on my own producing about 450 tonnes of municipal waste on a daily basis. Now, this may be affecting the wildlife.
Good hunters and heavy eaters, brown bears stick with their mothers for the primary two-three years and, sooner than going into hibernation in wintry weather, devour to their full doable. However, once they begin dropping their natural tendencies due to alternative and easily-available meals sources, they prevent hibernating.
"Only wild bears hibernate for about four months as food is limited in winter. However, those under care or those who have become highly dependent on human food waste or crops do not generally hibernate because they are getting their full quota of food," Pankaj Chandan, head, Western Himalayan Landscape at WWF, advised IANS.
Speaking of the shift to alternative meals, he said there is not any shortage of the brown endure's prey-base, which contains bharal or blue sheep or even ants.
Alia Mir, Wildlife SOS Manager in Kashmir, said that despite the fact that the nine-month-old is shipped back to the wild, it is going to perish as it's too dependent at the human-produced rubbish.
"There is no estimate to their population," Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, Wildlife Warden (Central Division), advised IANS.
Lone, on December 27, "re-rescued" a three-year-old Himalayan brown endure from Sonamarg after the animal was discovered raiding vegetation, killing livestock and wandering across the human agreement.
The endure was previous rescued in October and launched into the wild far away from the place it was rescued. It, alternatively, returned, Lone said.
"The bear got used to feeding on manure. Such animals lose their natural instincts and their chances of living in the wild are bleaker. Their ability to find food through hunting is lost," Lone pointed out.
He added that under the Wildlife Protection Act, the priority must all the time be to return a rescued animal to the wild, but this is not all the time the choice in Kashmir, particularly with "seasoned bears", each black and brown.
"It returned and we had no other option but to send it for permanent care at the rescue centre at Dachigam National Park," Lone said, recalling that years back, two extra Himalayan brown bears were rescued and sent to everlasting care. Later they died of previous age.
Now, living their lifestyles away from wild, in two different high-care rescue centres, the nine-month-old endure will proportion its house with two Himalayan black bears at Pahalgam whilst the 3 year-old-will are living along side 4 others at Dachigam.
According to vets, a Himalayan brown endure may are living as much as 35 years in captivity and about 27-30 years in the wild. Apparently, the rescued ones may have a minimum of three many years to conform to their new living arrangements.
Himalayan littering leading to brown-bear habit changes
![Himalayan littering leading to brown-bear habit changes]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 02, 2018
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