The Himalayan Brown Bear, surviving against all odds

Four of the eight species of bears found globally are present in India and the Himalayan Brown Bear is one of the rarest of them. It is a subspecies of the brown bear that faces growing threats from the rise in tourism, climate change, and human encroachment. 

In India, they are found in the rugged regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, northern Uttarakhand and parts of Sikkim. India’s estimated brown bear distribution range is around 36,800 km, but only 10% of this falls within the protected areas. 

“We don’t have precise numbers for the Himalayan Brown Bears in India. Most of the estimates are expert guesstimates – ranging from 200 to 750. Even the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List relies on these largely-subjective estimates,” remarked Sandeep Sharma, Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. 

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Rising risks 

The bears are protected in India under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. However, there were multiple cases of illegal trade reported in the 1990s. However,  lack of prima facie evidence in courts led to nonprosecution of those accused. 

“Nowadays, incidents of retaliatory killings by locals if bears attack their livestock are rare,” points out Muzammil Hussain, the founder, Himalayan Brown Bear Trust. 

The Trust provides specially designed solar-powered deterrent lights that help prevent brown bears from entering the villages by flashing multi-coloured lights at random intervals. In remote villages of Dras and Kargil, solar street lights are being installed to mitigate nighttime livestock predation. 

The number of tourists in the valley has also been on the rise. A whopping 2.11 crore tourists visited Jammu & Kashmir in 2024. This is one of the major reasons for increased human-bear interactions as the availability of anthropogenic food sources grows. 

“There’s a lot of exposure to human waste bins and waste pits where bears come and eat. This impacts their behaviour and increases the chances of human interaction,” says Hussain. Rampant waste disposal is seen in Mushkoh Valley near Dras town of Kargil, as well as Joshimath town of Uttarakhand. 

A study conducted by Wildlife SOS found that 75% of the bears’ diet in Kashmir consists of scavenged garbage, including glass and plastic. The lack of proper waste segregation poses a serious threat to their gastrointestinal health, which reduces their lifespan. 

“The bears are habituated of digging in to feed on tubers. This change of diet is shocking. Their diet is of great ecological importance. They regulate vegetation composition by consumption of fruits and berries, thus contributing to the regulation of soil fertility and facilitating pollination as well,” says Abhishek Ghoshal, head of conflict mitigation at Wildlife Trust India.

“Additional challenges are their small population size and low reproduction rate. The protection of this delicate species from further loss depends on the initiatives taken for conservation,” reveals Niyaz Khan of the Bombay Natural History Society. 

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Cubs under threat 

Climate change and human-induced factors remain major concerns, but the presence of feral dogs is the single most pressing challenge in the valleys for brown bear cubs. 

“Guard dogs accompanying livestock herds often chase, attack, and harass brown bears and their cubs, causing injuries and even death,” explained Ghoshal. 

Feral dogs emerged as the primary contributor to livestock depredation, as they accounted for 63.5% of all losses, surpassing the native carnivores snow leopards (28.5%) and wolves (8%). 

“Stray canines spread diseases to wildlife and threaten the already fragile bear population. Left unchecked, this rivalry might throw off the entire equilibrium of the environment,” says Khan.  

Future at stake 

The spatially averaged mean annual temperature for brown bears is currently -1.2 degrees Celsius and is estimated to be 1.6 degrees Celsius by 2050. This shift in temperature might alter the physiological nature and behaviour of brown bears. 

“Climate change is playing a significant role in the biology of brown bears – how they behave, their hibernation patterns, their eating habits, and the way they interact with the environment,” says Hussain. The brown bears are now forced to adapt and often in ways that put them at high risk of human interaction. 

There is a lack of funding observed from the government for the Himalayan Brown Bears. This is true for other bear species in India, as well. “The funding received goes to government institutions themselves and their efforts seldom see the light of day,” says Sharma. 

The survival of these bears depends on policy-driven action and adequate funding to estimate the number of brown bears in India to begin with and subsequent urgent initiatives that can help save them. 

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Aditya Ansh is an independent media writer based in New Delhi, India, who covers stories of environment, science and society. 

The lead image on top shows the Himalayan Brown Bear in its natural habitat. (Photo by Niyaz Khan)