Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) are 1 of the 4 species of bears that occur in India. The extant range in India ranges from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. In this present study, we report the first photographic evidence of Asiatic black bear from Gorumara National Park and low-elevation (80–100 m above sea level) tea plantations and towns in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, India, during 2021 and 2022. There have been multiple reports of bear sightings from different tea estates and localities around the national park. These reports of bear presence in these low-lying habitats of northern West Bengal raise questions about their sudden exodus from the mountains to the plains and call for a detailed study both in their native and current habitat to understand their ecology and behavior and to gather knowledge about the drivers of these disturbances.
How to translate text using browser tools
22 July 2024
Record of Asiatic black bear from low-elevation forests and tea plantations of northern West Bengal
Anish Paul,
Nitish Kumar,
Aritra Kshettry
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Ursus
Vol. 2024 • No. 35e12
July 2024
Vol. 2024 • No. 35e12
July 2024
Asiatic black bear
camera-traps
duars
Gorumara National Park
human–bear conflict
India
tea estates