India recorded its first-ever confirmed sighting of a rare Tibetan brown bear in Northern Sikkim.
Key points
- It was recorded in camera traps set up by the Sikkim Forest Department and WWF-India.
- This species is scientifically known as Ursus arctos pruinosus. It is also known as the Tibetan blue bear.
- It is among one of the rarest subspecies of bears in the world. This subspecies has adapted to the harsh conditions of the Tibetan Plateau and is rarely sighted in the wild.
- Few records from Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibetan plateau confirm its sighting with the latest one being in Sikkim.
- This species is distinct from the commonly found Himalayan Black Bear in terms of its appearance.
- Camera traps captured the bear in December 2023 with its characteristic yellowish scarf-like collar that broadens from the shoulders to the chest in the Mangan district.
- The Brown Bear’s sense of smell is much more acute than its hearing and sight.
- Tibetan brown bear species has been accorded the highest protection status under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and is listed under Schedule-I. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) also listed it as a protected species.
