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{{subspeciesbox
{{subspeciesbox
| name = Himalayan brown bear
| name = Himalayan brown bear
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=McLellan, B.N. |author2=Proctor, M.F. |author3=Huber, D. |author4=Michel, S. |name-list-style=amp |title=''Ursus arctos'' |volume=2017 |page= e.T41688A121229971 |date=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41688A121229971.en}}</ref>
| image = Medvěd plavý (Ursus arctos isabellinus).jpg
| image = Medvěd plavý (Ursus arctos isabellinus).jpg
| image_caption =  
| image_caption = Himalayan brown bear
| genus = Ursus
| genus = Ursus
| species = arctos
| species = arctos
| species_link = Brown bear
| species_link = Brown bear
| subspecies = isabellinus
| subspecies = isabellinus
| status = CITES_A2
| status_system = CITES
| status_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=CITES Appendices I, II and III |date=2023 |url=https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/app/2023/E-Appendices-2023-05-04.pdf |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=CITES}}</ref>
| authority = [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1826
| authority = [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1826
| range_map = Himalayan brown bear area.jpg
| range_map = Himalayan brown bear area.jpg
Line 16: Line 16:
}}
}}


The '''Himalayan brown bear''' (''Ursus arctos isabellinus''), also known as the '''Himalayan red bear''', '''isabelline bear''' or '''Dzu-Teh''', is a [[subspecies]] of the [[brown bear]] and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China and Nepal. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to {{convert|2.2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long, while females are a little smaller. The bears are [[Omnivore|omnivorous]] and [[Hibernation|hibernate]] in dens during the winter. While the brown bear as a species is classified as [[Least Concern]] by the [[IUCN]], this subspecies is highly endangered and populations are dwindling.
The '''Himalayan brown bear''' ('''''Ursus arctos isabellinus'''''), also known as the '''Himalayan red bear''' or '''isabelline bear''', is a [[subspecies]] of the [[brown bear]] occurring in the [[western Himalayas]]. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to {{cvt|2.2|m}} long, while females are a little smaller. It is [[Omnivore|omnivorous]] and [[Hibernation|hibernate]]s in dens during the winter.


==Description==
==Description==
Himalayan brown bears exhibit [[sexual dimorphism]]. Males range from {{cvt|1.5|to|2.2|m|ftin}} long, while females are {{cvt|1.37|to|1.83|m|ftin}} long. They are the largest animals in the [[Himalayas]] and are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour.
Himalayan brown bears exhibit [[sexual dimorphism]]. Males range from {{cvt|1.5|to|2.2|m|ftin}} long, while females are {{cvt|1.37|to|1.83|m|ftin}} long. They are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Rathore |first=B. C. |date=2008 |title=Ecology of Brown Bear (''Ursus arctos'') with special reference to assessment of Human-Brown Bear conflicts in Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh and mitigation strategies |type=PhD thesis |publisher=Saurashtra University |place=Rajkot|url=https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/K/944448050.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822180012/https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/K/944448050.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2023 |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref>


==Distribution==
==Distribution and habitat==
The bears are found in [[Nepal]], Tibet, west [[China]], north [[India]], north [[Pakistan]],  Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, entire [[Kyrgyzstan]] and south-east [[Kazakhstan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336167935_Conservation_Distribution_and_Conservation_Status_of_Tien-Shan_Brown_Bear_in_the_Kyrgyz_Republic|title=Conservation Distribution and Conservation Status of Tien-Shan Brown Bear in the Kyrgyz Republic|last=Anarbaev|display-authors=etal|date=2019|website=www.researchgate.net}}</ref> They are already speculated to have become extinct in Bhutan.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} Phylogenetic analysis has shown that the [[Gobi bear]] clusters with the Himalayan brown bear and may represent a relict population of this subspecies.<ref name="lan">{{cite journal | author1= Lan T. | author2=Gill S. | author3=Bellemain E. | author4=Bischof R. | author5=Zawaz M.A. | author6=Lindqvist C. | year = 2017 | title = Evolutionary history of enigmatic bears in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region and the identity of the yeti | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | volume = 284 | issue = 1868| page = 20171804 | doi=10.1098/rspb.2017.1804| pmid = 29187630 | pmc = 5740279 }}</ref>
The Himalayan brown bear occurs in the western Himalayas from northeastern [[Pakistan]]<ref name=Fida2024>{{Cite journal |last1=Fida |first1=T. |last2=Ahmad |first2=F. |last3=Bosso |first3=L. |last4=Ali |first4=N. |last5=Din |first5=S. U. |last6=Kabir |first6=M. |date=2024 |title=Distribution, diel activity patterns and human-bear interactions of the Himalayan brown bear (''Ursus arctos isabellinus'') in the Deosai National Park, Pakistan |journal=Mammal Research |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=493–505 |doi=10.1007/s13364-024-00760-3}}</ref><ref name=Fida2025>{{Cite journal |last1=Fida |first1=T. |last2=Mohammadi |first2=A. |last3=Almasieh |first3=K. |last4=Bosso |first4=L. |last5=Ud Din |first5=S. |last6=Shamas |first6=U. |last7=Nawaz |first7=M. A. |last8=Kabir |first8=M. |date=2025 |title=Species distribution modelling and landscape connectivity as tools to inform management and conservation for the critically endangered Himalayan brown bear (''Ursus arctos isabellinus'') in the Deosai National Park, Pakistan |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |volume=12 |article-number=1477480 |doi=10.3389/fevo.2024.1477480 |bibcode=2025FrEEv..1277480F |doi-access=free }}</ref> through the [[India]]n states of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]] to the Himalayas in central [[Nepal]].<ref name=iucn_suppl>{{cite journal |title=Brown Bear (''Ursus arctos'') isolated populations (Supplemented material to ''Ursus arctos'' Redlisting account) |author=McLellan, B.N. |author2=Proctor, M.F. |author3=Huber, D. |author4=Michel, S. |date=2016 |journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |volume=2016 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/121229971/attachment |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref><ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=McLellan, B.N. |author2=Proctor, M.F. |author3=Huber, D. |author4=Michel, S. |name-list-style=amp |title=''Ursus arctos'' |article-number=e.T41688A121229971 |date=2017 |amends=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41688A121229971.en}}</ref>
At present, it is unknown whether the Himalayan brown bear is connected to brown bear populations in the [[Karakoram]] Mountains and on the [[Tibetan Plateau]].<ref name=iucn_suppl/>
 
In Pakistan,  the primary habitats of the Himalayan brown bear are the [[subalpine]] and alpine regions of [[Khunjerab National Park|Khunjerab]] and [[Deosai National Park]]s and other protected areas in Astore and Nanga Parbat.<ref name=Fida2024/><ref name=Fida2025/>


==Phylogenetics and evolution==
==Phylogenetics and evolution==
The Himalayan brown bear consists of a single clade that is the sister group to all other brown bears (and polar bears). The dating of the branching event, estimated at 658,000 years ago, corresponds to the period of a [[Middle Pleistocene]] episode of glaciation on the Tibetan plateau, suggesting that during this Nyanyaxungla glaciation the lineage that would give rise to the Himalayan brown bear became isolated in a distinct refuge, leading to its divergence.<ref name="lan" />
The Himalayan brown bear consists of a single [[clade]] that is the [[sister group]] to all other brown bears and the polar bear. The dating of the branching event, estimated at 658,000 years ago, corresponds to the period of a [[Middle Pleistocene]] episode of glaciation on the Tibetan plateau, suggesting that during this Nyanyaxungla glaciation, the lineage that gave rise to the Himalayan brown bear became isolated in a distinct refuge, leading to its divergence.<ref name="lan" />
 
Phylogenetic analysis has shown that the [[Gobi bear]] clusters with the Himalayan brown bear and may represent a relict population of this subspecies.<ref name="lan">{{cite journal |author1=Lan, T. |author2=Gill, S. |author3=Bellemain, E. | author4=Bischof, R. |author5=Zawaz, M.A. |author6=Lindqvist, C. |year=2017 |title=Evolutionary history of enigmatic bears in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region and the identity of the yeti |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=284 |issue=1868|article-number=20171804 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2017.1804|pmid=29187630 |pmc=5740279}}</ref>


==Behaviour and ecology==
==Behaviour and ecology==
The bears go into [[hibernation]] around October and emerge during April and May. Hibernation usually occurs in a den or cave made by the bear.
The bears go into [[hibernation]] around October and emerge during April and May. Hibernation usually occurs in a den or cave made by the bear.<ref name=Singh2023>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=A. |date=2023 |title=Rocky Road: Change is in the Air for the Himalayan Brown Bear |url=https://roundglasssustain.com/species/himalayan-brown-bear-denning-changes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822180756/https://roundglasssustain.com/species/himalayan-brown-bear-denning-changes |archive-date=22 August 2023 |access-date=22 August 2023 |work=Roundglass Sustain}}</ref>


[[File:Two Cubs playing with Mother Himalayan Brown Bear.JPG|thumb|Himalayan brown bear with cubs on the trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh in Uttarakhand, India.]]
[[File:Two Cubs playing with Mother Himalayan Brown Bear.JPG|thumb|Himalayan brown bear with cubs on the trek from [[Gangotri]] to [[Gaumukh]] in [[Uttarakhand]], India]]


===Feeding===
===Feeding===
Himalayan brown bears are [[omnivore]]s and will eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals; they also like fruits and berries. They will also prey on large mammals, including [[sheep]] and [[domestic goat|goats]]. Adults will eat before sunrise and later during the afternoon.
Himalayan brown bears are [[omnivore]]s and will eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals; they also like fruits and berries. They will also prey on large mammals, including [[sheep]] and [[domestic goat|goats]]. Adults will eat before sunrise and later during the afternoon.<ref name=Singh2023/>
 
==Threats and conservation==
The Himalayan brown bear is poached for fur and claws for ornamental purposes and internal organs for use in medicines. It is killed by shepherds to protect their livestock. In Himachal Pradesh, their home is the [[Kugti Sanctuary|Kugti and Tundah]] wildlife sanctuaries and the tribal [[Chamba district|Chamba]] region. The tree bearing the state flower of Himachal, [[buransh]], is the favourite habitat of the Himalayan brown bear. Due to the high value of the buransh tree, it is commercially cut causing further destruction to the brown bear's habitat.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/missing-snowman/article6618001.ece |title=Missing snowman |last=Tehsin|first=A. |date=2014 |work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref>


==Status and conservation==
===Population and Conservation===
International trade is prohibited by the [[Wildlife Protection Act]] in India.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}} Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) in Pakistan conducts research on the current status of Himalayan brown bears in the Pamir Range in Gilgit-Baltistan, a promising habitat for the bears and a wildlife corridor connecting bear populations in Pakistan to central Asia. The project also intends to investigate the conflicts humans have with the bears, while promoting tolerance for bears in the region through environmental education. SLF received funding from the Prince Bernhard Nature Fund and Alertis.<ref name="Alertis">{{cite web|url=http://www.bearsinmind.org/Newsitem/alertis-secures-grant|title=Alertis Secures Grant|website=Bears In Mind|access-date=18 July 2013}}</ref> Unlike other brown bear subspecies, which are found in good numbers,<ref name=IUCN/> the Himalayan brown bear is critically endangered. They are poached for their fur and claws for ornamental purposes and internal organs for use in medicines. They are killed by shepherds to protect their livestock and their home is destroyed by human encroachment. In Himachal, their home is the Kugti and Tundah wildlife sanctuaries and the tribal Chamba region. Their estimated population is just 20 in Kugti and 15 in Tundah. The tree bearing the state flower of Himachal, buransh, is the favourite habitat of the bear. Due to the high value of the buransh tree, it is being commercially cut causing further destruction to the brown bear's home.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/missing-snowman/article6618001.ece|title=Missing snowman|last=Tehsin|first=Arefa|date=2014-11-20|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-11-28|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The Himalayan brown bear is a critically endangered species in some of its range with a population of only 150–200 in Pakistan. The populations in Pakistan are slow reproducing, small, and declining because of habitat loss, fragmentation, poaching, and [[bear-baiting]].<ref name="Alertis"/>  In India, brown bears are present in 23 protected areas in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal, but only in two of these the bears are regarded as fairly common. There are likely less than 1,000 bears, and possibly half that in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/en|title=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|website=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref>
A bear population of about 150–200 individuals can be found in the northern region of Pakistan in an area of about 150,000 square kilometres (58,000 sq mi).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nawaz |first=M. A. |date=2007 |title=Status of the brown bear in Pakistan |journal=Ursus |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=89–100 |doi=10.2192/1537-6176(2007)18[89:SOTBBI]2.0.CO;2}}</ref> The Himalayan brown bear is classified as critically endangered in Pakistan.<ref name="Sheikh2003">{{Cite book |last1=Sheikh |first1=K.M. |url=https://zooreach.org/downloads/ZOO_CAMP_PHVA_reports/2003_CAMP_Pakistan_Mammals.pdf |title=Status and Red List of Pakistan's mammals, based on the Pakistan Mammal Conservation Assessment & Management Plan Workshop, 18–22 August 2003 |last2=Molur |first2=S. |publisher=IUCN Pakistan |year=2004 |place=Islamabad}}</ref> It is threatened by overgrazing and farming, poaching, the illicit trade in bear fat and pelts, the extraction of ethno-botanical plants, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and poor tourism.<ref name="Sheikh2003" /> The Deosai plateau in the western Himalayan regions is currently home to the most significant and stable Himalayan brown bear population.<ref name="Fida2024" /><ref name="Fida2025" /> Despite the fact that bear habitat is generally declining, the population in [[Deosai National Park]] is protected in a number of ways, especially from anthropogenic pressure, which is fueling the bear population's expansion.<ref name="Fida2024" /><ref name="Fida2025" />
 
===Threats from human waste===
In the [[Indian Himalayan region]], a rapidly growing threat to the bear population is the ingestion and dependency on human waste, primarily driven by expanding tourism and inadequate solid-waste management.<ref name="Arcadia2025Plastics">{{cite journal |last=McFarland |first=Maile |date=Spring 2025 |title=Plastics in the Peaks: The Hidden Threat to Himalayan Wildlife |journal=Arcadia |issue=5 |publisher=Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society |doi=10.5282/rcc/9951}}</ref>
 
Recent ecological studies suggest that as much as 75% of the Himalayan brown bear's diet now consists of scavenged waste from human dump sites. This dietary shift is driven by the loss of natural alpine habitat and the increased accessibility of waste, which creates a dangerous overlap between human and wildlife habitats, particularly near protected areas like the Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary. Scavenging on waste poses several health risks, including:<ref name="Arcadia2025Plastics" />
* Reduced nutritional intake compared to their natural diet.
* Ingestion of toxic chemicals, such as [[bisphenol A|BPA]], which can negatively affect reproduction, neurological systems, and mortality rates.
* Physical injury from plastic ingestion, which can cause blockage, ulceration, or perforation of the digestive tract, potentially leading to starvation or death.
* Exposure to pathogens and [[zoonotic disease]]s commonly found at waste dumps.
 
The issue is exacerbated by challenging topography and extreme climate in remote mountain areas, which make effective waste management difficult, leading to improper disposal methods like dumping and burning. Conservation efforts, such as those by activist groups like Waste Warriors in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, focus on improving waste management infrastructure and collaborating with local communities and government bodies to mitigate this threat.<ref name="Arcadia2025Plastics" />


==Association with the Yeti==
==Association with the Yeti==
[[File:UrsusSkullSmit.jpg|thumb|Skull]]
[[File:UrsusSkullSmit.jpg|thumb|Skull]]
"Dzu-Teh," a Nepalese term, has also been associated with the legend of the [[Yeti]], or Abominable Snowman, with which it has been sometimes confused or mistaken. During the [[Daily Mail]] Abominable Snowman Expedition of 1954, Tom Stobart encountered a "Dzu-Teh". This is recounted by Ralph Izzard, the ''Daily Mail'' correspondent on the expedition, in his book ''The Abominable Snowman Adventure''.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Ralph Izzard.|year=1955|title=The Abominable Snowman Adventure|journal=Hodder and Staoughton}}</ref>  A 2017 analysis of DNA extracted from a mummified animal purporting to represent a Yeti was shown to have been a Himalayan brown bear.<ref name="lan" />
"Dzu-Teh", a Nepalese term, has also been associated with the legend of the [[Yeti]], or Abominable Snowman, with which it has been sometimes confused or mistaken. During the [[Daily Mail]] Abominable Snowman Expedition of 1954, Tom Stobart encountered a "Dzu-Teh". This is recounted by [[Ralph Izzard]], the ''Daily Mail'' correspondent on the expedition, in his book ''The Abominable Snowman Adventure''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Izzard, R. |year=1955 |title=The Abominable Snowman Adventure |publisher=Hodder and Staoughton}}</ref>  A 2017 analysis of DNA extracted from a mummified animal purporting to represent a Yeti was shown to have been a Himalayan brown bear.<ref name="lan" />


==In media==
* The [[The Jungle Book (2016 film)|2016 film]] based on [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' portrays [[Baloo]] as a Himalayan brown bear.
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* "Status and Affinities of the Bears of Northeastern Asia", by Ernst Schwarz Journal of Mammalogy 1940 American Society of Mammalogists.
* Ogonev, S.I. 1932, "The mammals of eastern Europe and northern  Asia", vol. 2, pp.&nbsp;11–118. Moscow.
* Pocock R.I, "The Black and Brown Bears of Europe and Asia" Part 1. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society., vol. 35, no. 4, pp.&nbsp;772–823, figs 1-11. July 15, 1932.
* Ursus arctos, by Maria Pasitschniak, Published 23 April 1993 by "The American Society of Mammalogists"
*John A. Jackson, "More than Mountains", Chapter 10 (pp 92) & 11, "Prelude to the Snowman Expedition & The Snowman Expedition", George Harrap & Co, 1954
* Charles Stonor, "The Sherpa and the Snowman", recounts the 1955 [[Daily Mail]] "Abominable Snowman Expedition" by the scientific officer of the expedition, this is a very detailed analysis of not just the "Snowman" but the flora and fauna of the Himalaya and its people. Hollis and Carter, 1955.
*John A. Jackson, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090108143742/http://www.cabernet.demon.co.uk/JAJ/adventure_travels_in_himalaya.htm "Adventure Travels in the Himalaya"] Chapter 17, "Everest and the Elusive Snowman", 1954 updated material, Indus Publishing Company, 2005.
{{Wikispecies|Ursus arctos}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://video.pbs.org/video/1791007183/ Video of Himalayan brown bear and a Tibetan fox on the hunt] from PBS Video
* [https://www.pbs.org/video/nature-the-himalayan-bear-and-the-tibetan-fox/ Video of Himalayan brown bear and a Tibetan fox on the hunt] from PBS Video
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121215051532/http://dinets.travel.ru/russianbears.htm Red Bear]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121215051532/http://dinets.travel.ru/russianbears.htm Red Bear]
* [http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC051343/Nelson%20Chou/yeti.htm The Yeti]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310233806/http://www.cabernet.demon.co.uk/JAJ/snowman1954/1954-snowman-team.html Daily Mail Abominable Snowman]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310233806/http://www.cabernet.demon.co.uk/JAJ/snowman1954/1954-snowman-team.html Daily Mail Abominable Snowman]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929163122/http://www.wildlifesos.com/bearreport/Bear%20species%20found%20in%20India.htm Bear species found in India]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929163122/http://www.wildlifesos.com/bearreport/Bear%20species%20found%20in%20India.htm Bear species found in India]
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[[Category:Carnivorans of Asia]]
[[Category:Carnivorans of Asia]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Mammals of Pakistan|Bear, Himalayan Brown]]
[[Category:Mammals of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Mammals of India|Bear, Himalayan Brown]]
[[Category:Mammals of India]]
[[Category:Mammals of Nepal|Bear, Himalayan Brown]]
[[Category:Mammals of Nepal]]
[[Category:Mammals of Bhutan|Bear, Himalayan Brown]]
[[Category:Mammals of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Fauna of Jammu and Kashmir|Bear, Himalayan Brown]]
[[Category:Fauna of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Critically endangered biota of Asia]]
[[Category:Critically endangered biota of Asia]]

Latest revision as of 15:59, 24 January 2026


Himalayan brown bear
Himalayan brown bear
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification e
: [[Template:Taxonomy/Ursus]]
Subgenus:
Template:Taxonomy/Ursus
Species:
Template:Taxonomy/UrsusU. arctos
Subspecies:
Template:Taxonomy/UrsusU. a. isabellinus
Trinomial name
Ursus arctos isabellinus
Horsfield, 1826
Himalayan brown bear range

The Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), also known as the Himalayan red bear or isabelline bear, is a subspecies of the brown bear occurring in the western Himalayas. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) long, while females are a little smaller. It is omnivorous and hibernates in dens during the winter.

Description[edit | edit source]

Himalayan brown bears exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males range from 1.5 to 2.2 m (4 ft 11 in to 7 ft 3 in) long, while females are 1.37 to 1.83 m (4 ft 6 in to 6 ft 0 in) long. They are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour.[2]

Distribution and habitat[edit | edit source]

The Himalayan brown bear occurs in the western Himalayas from northeastern Pakistan[3][4] through the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to the Himalayas in central Nepal.[5][6] At present, it is unknown whether the Himalayan brown bear is connected to brown bear populations in the Karakoram Mountains and on the Tibetan Plateau.[5]

In Pakistan, the primary habitats of the Himalayan brown bear are the subalpine and alpine regions of Khunjerab and Deosai National Parks and other protected areas in Astore and Nanga Parbat.[3][4]

Phylogenetics and evolution[edit | edit source]

The Himalayan brown bear consists of a single clade that is the sister group to all other brown bears and the polar bear. The dating of the branching event, estimated at 658,000 years ago, corresponds to the period of a Middle Pleistocene episode of glaciation on the Tibetan plateau, suggesting that during this Nyanyaxungla glaciation, the lineage that gave rise to the Himalayan brown bear became isolated in a distinct refuge, leading to its divergence.[7]

Phylogenetic analysis has shown that the Gobi bear clusters with the Himalayan brown bear and may represent a relict population of this subspecies.[7]

Behaviour and ecology[edit | edit source]

The bears go into hibernation around October and emerge during April and May. Hibernation usually occurs in a den or cave made by the bear.[8]

Himalayan brown bear with cubs on the trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh in Uttarakhand, India

Feeding[edit | edit source]

Himalayan brown bears are omnivores and will eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals; they also like fruits and berries. They will also prey on large mammals, including sheep and goats. Adults will eat before sunrise and later during the afternoon.[8]

Threats and conservation[edit | edit source]

The Himalayan brown bear is poached for fur and claws for ornamental purposes and internal organs for use in medicines. It is killed by shepherds to protect their livestock. In Himachal Pradesh, their home is the Kugti and Tundah wildlife sanctuaries and the tribal Chamba region. The tree bearing the state flower of Himachal, buransh, is the favourite habitat of the Himalayan brown bear. Due to the high value of the buransh tree, it is commercially cut causing further destruction to the brown bear's habitat.[9]

Population and Conservation[edit | edit source]

A bear population of about 150–200 individuals can be found in the northern region of Pakistan in an area of about 150,000 square kilometres (58,000 sq mi).[10] The Himalayan brown bear is classified as critically endangered in Pakistan.[11] It is threatened by overgrazing and farming, poaching, the illicit trade in bear fat and pelts, the extraction of ethno-botanical plants, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and poor tourism.[11] The Deosai plateau in the western Himalayan regions is currently home to the most significant and stable Himalayan brown bear population.[3][4] Despite the fact that bear habitat is generally declining, the population in Deosai National Park is protected in a number of ways, especially from anthropogenic pressure, which is fueling the bear population's expansion.[3][4]

Threats from human waste[edit | edit source]

In the Indian Himalayan region, a rapidly growing threat to the bear population is the ingestion and dependency on human waste, primarily driven by expanding tourism and inadequate solid-waste management.[12]

Recent ecological studies suggest that as much as 75% of the Himalayan brown bear's diet now consists of scavenged waste from human dump sites. This dietary shift is driven by the loss of natural alpine habitat and the increased accessibility of waste, which creates a dangerous overlap between human and wildlife habitats, particularly near protected areas like the Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary. Scavenging on waste poses several health risks, including:[12]

  • Reduced nutritional intake compared to their natural diet.
  • Ingestion of toxic chemicals, such as BPA, which can negatively affect reproduction, neurological systems, and mortality rates.
  • Physical injury from plastic ingestion, which can cause blockage, ulceration, or perforation of the digestive tract, potentially leading to starvation or death.
  • Exposure to pathogens and zoonotic diseases commonly found at waste dumps.

The issue is exacerbated by challenging topography and extreme climate in remote mountain areas, which make effective waste management difficult, leading to improper disposal methods like dumping and burning. Conservation efforts, such as those by activist groups like Waste Warriors in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, focus on improving waste management infrastructure and collaborating with local communities and government bodies to mitigate this threat.[12]

Association with the Yeti[edit | edit source]

Skull

"Dzu-Teh", a Nepalese term, has also been associated with the legend of the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, with which it has been sometimes confused or mistaken. During the Daily Mail Abominable Snowman Expedition of 1954, Tom Stobart encountered a "Dzu-Teh". This is recounted by Ralph Izzard, the Daily Mail correspondent on the expedition, in his book The Abominable Snowman Adventure.[13] A 2017 analysis of DNA extracted from a mummified animal purporting to represent a Yeti was shown to have been a Himalayan brown bear.[7]

In media[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "CITES Appendices I, II and III" (PDF). CITES. 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Rathore, B. C. (2008). Ecology of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) with special reference to assessment of Human-Brown Bear conflicts in Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh and mitigation strategies (PDF) (PhD thesis). Rajkot: Saurashtra University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fida, T.; Ahmad, F.; Bosso, L.; Ali, N.; Din, S. U.; Kabir, M. (2024). "Distribution, diel activity patterns and human-bear interactions of the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in the Deosai National Park, Pakistan". Mammal Research. 69 (4): 493–505. doi:10.1007/s13364-024-00760-3.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fida, T.; Mohammadi, A.; Almasieh, K.; Bosso, L.; Ud Din, S.; Shamas, U.; Nawaz, M. A.; Kabir, M. (2025). "Species distribution modelling and landscape connectivity as tools to inform management and conservation for the critically endangered Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in the Deosai National Park, Pakistan". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 12 1477480. Bibcode:2025FrEEv..1277480F. doi:10.3389/fevo.2024.1477480.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 McLellan, B.N.; Proctor, M.F.; Huber, D.; Michel, S. (2016). "Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) isolated populations (Supplemented material to Ursus arctos Redlisting account)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ McLellan, B.N.; Proctor, M.F.; Huber, D. & Michel, S. (2017). "Ursus arctos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T41688A121229971. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41688A121229971.en. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |amends= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lan, T.; Gill, S.; Bellemain, E.; Bischof, R.; Zawaz, M.A.; Lindqvist, C. (2017). "Evolutionary history of enigmatic bears in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region and the identity of the yeti". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 284 (1868) 20171804. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.1804. PMC 5740279. PMID 29187630.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Singh, A. (2023). "Rocky Road: Change is in the Air for the Himalayan Brown Bear". Roundglass Sustain. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Tehsin, A. (2014). "Missing snowman". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  10. ↑ Nawaz, M. A. (2007). "Status of the brown bear in Pakistan". Ursus. 18 (1): 89–100. doi:10.2192/1537-6176(2007)18[89:SOTBBI]2.0.CO;2.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sheikh, K.M.; Molur, S. (2004). Status and Red List of Pakistan's mammals, based on the Pakistan Mammal Conservation Assessment & Management Plan Workshop, 18–22 August 2003 (PDF). Islamabad: IUCN Pakistan.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 McFarland, Maile (Spring 2025). "Plastics in the Peaks: The Hidden Threat to Himalayan Wildlife". Arcadia (5). Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. doi:10.5282/rcc/9951.
  13. ↑ Izzard, R. (1955). The Abominable Snowman Adventure. Hodder and Staoughton.

External links[edit | edit source]

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