Distribution of Asiatic black bear and its interaction with humans in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan

Abstract

We assessed the human-bear interactions and distribution patterns of the Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (JSWNP) in Bhutan through a questionnaire survey of park residents and by remote camera trapping. Our study revealed 26% (N = 311) of the respondents experiencing one or another form of human-bear interaction. Crop damage accounted for the highest interaction rate at 65%, followed by livestock depredation (25%), between 2012 and 2016. About 10% of the interactions involved human mual-bout 10% of the interactions involved human mualing cases in 2006-2016. About 80% of the respondents expressed support for bear conservation influenced mainly by conservation awareness programmes. Observations from 39 camera trap stations across the national park indicated a wide distribution of Asiatic black bears in JSWNP, with a mean site use probability of 0.55 (SE = 0.10, N = 39). With emerging perceived threats such as habitat fragmentation and loss, retaliatory killing, and poaching, it is recommended that the national park management adopt conservation measures that will enable a harmonious coexistence between humans and bears. Habitat enrichment with natural food resources for the bear, equipping communities with conflict preventive measures, and advocating local people on bear conservation are some of the measures that need to be adopted in the national park.

Assessing the spatial-temporal patterns of conflicts between humans and Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) around the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve, China

“…Therefore, black bears regularly interact with rural people and frequently involve in conflicts with humans (Jamtsho and Wangchuk, 2016;Huang et al, 2018). Bears can cause crop damage (Kazmi et al, 2019;Letro et al, 2020), livestock depredation (Jamtsho and Wangchuk, 2016;Waseem et al, 2020), beehive loss (Liu et al, 2011), and even human injuries or deaths (Charoo et al, 2011;Ali et al, 2018). Humans kill black bears in retaliation for such losses or to prevent future losses, posing severe threats to the species' conservation (Garshelis and Steinmetz, 2020;Letro et al, 2020;Gomez et al, 2021).…”

“…Bears can cause crop damage (Kazmi et al, 2019;Letro et al, 2020), livestock depredation (Jamtsho and Wangchuk, 2016;Waseem et al, 2020), beehive loss (Liu et al, 2011), and even human injuries or deaths (Charoo et al, 2011;Ali et al, 2018). Humans kill black bears in retaliation for such losses or to prevent future losses, posing severe threats to the species' conservation (Garshelis and Steinmetz, 2020;Letro et al, 2020;Gomez et al, 2021). Moreover, these conflicts appear to increase in many areas (Can et al, 2014;Smith and Herrero, 2018;Prajapati et al, 2021), which pose significant challenges to human-bear coexistence (Ali et al, 2018).…”

Mapping habitat suitability for Asiatic black bear and red panda in Makalu Barun National Park of Nepal from Maxent and GARP models

“…Red panda prefers less disturbed areas to live in but will still occupy human troubled areas 77 . On the other hand, the black bear has encountered many conflicts with humans in different regions in Nepal and other territories across its range, including MBNP 43 , 78 . MBNP has been a promising tourist site with several trekking routes and tourist stations through the habitat of these animals 79 .…”

Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

“…To safeguard crops from bear intrusion and minimize conflicts between bears and agricultural activities, a variety of protective measures can be implemented. These may include crop guarding techniques and the installation of electric fencing, such as solar-powered electric fences [10]. However, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures based on evidence from the literature.…”

“…The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is widely distributed in South and East Asia [6], regularly interacts with rural people [6], and is frequently involved in conflicts with humans [7,8]. Bears can cause crop damage [9,10], livestock depredation [7,11], beehive loss [12], and even human injuries or deaths [13,14]. The Asiatic black bear, native to 20 Asian countries, including Nepal, is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and in Appendix A of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.…”