This image was taken on the 13th of April 2021 in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. A sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) was ambling along a path heading towards a lantana thicket, where a tiger was earlier spotted resting. Suddenly loud growls erupted as a fight broke out between the two. The hassled tiger came running out of the thicket and growled back, returning to where the bear stood in a show of resistance. Eventually, the ferocity of the bear drove the tiger … Read More
Bear knocked dead by train on Chanda Fort-Gondia line, Maharashtra
CHANDRAPUR, MAHARASHTRA: A full-grown sloth bear was knocked dead by a speeding train in Chichpalli forest range during the wee hours of Sunday, August 1, 2021. Officials said that a female bear, aged around three and half years, was crossing the track near railway poll no. 1198/9 in the Mul-Chichpalli stretch of Chanda Fort Gondia railway line, when the accident took place.
The bear suffered multiple fractures in the hip and hind legs and died after creeping a few metres … Read More
Uttar Pradesh’s first Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve Proposed in Mirzapur Forest Division
A first of its kind, and Uttar Pradesh’s first Protected Area dedicated to Sloth Bear may come in Mirzapur Forest Division. The proposal for 408 sq.km. Conservation Reserve is backed by the first ever wildlife inventory using camera trap survey conducted in three forest ranges- Marihan, Sukrit and Chunar under Mirzapur Forest Division, Uttar Pradesh. The report titled “Wildlife Inventory and Proposal for Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve” published in July 2019 is authored by Vindhyan Ecology and Natural … Read More
Endangered Sloth Bear Rescued from a 40-ft Deep Well, Tumakuru, Karnataka
In a two-hour long risky and dangerous operation carried out by Wildlife SOS, a male sloth bear that had accidentally fallen into a forty feet deep well was rescued. It was released back into the wild after medical treatment and observation. The Wildlife SOS team at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Center (BBRC) received a call from the forest officials about a sloth bear that had fallen into a deep well in Tumkur, a few hours’ drive from Bangalore. The well … Read More
Perceiving Animal: A Human Question
How would we treat beings differently if we granted them ‘selves’? I live life with the experience that I possess a self and navigate interactions with other humans with the assumption that they too have ‘selves’. Is it possible that there are communities and cultures in this world that relate to the non-human beings around them with the belief that these beings have ‘selves’, and can this make communities more willing to negotiate rather than dictate space with them?
As … Read More
Sloth Bears of Mirzapur: A Study from the Vindhyan Landscape of Eastern Uttar Pradesh
“Jim Corbett had shot all his man-eaters in Nainital. But I am sure there must have been more tigers in and around Mirzapur than in all the tarai districts put together……” These are words of Y.D. Gundevia, District Collector of Mirzapur in the 1940s, in his book ‘In the Districts of the Raj’. His predecessor, Lord Wyndham, who was Collector of the district for more than 30 years, was a very good friend of Jim Corbett. Mirzapur is the place … Read More
Understanding Sloth Bears — An Interview With Dr. K. Yoganand
CI: Tell us about your research on sloth bears
I conducted intensive field research on sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) between 1996 and 2000 in Panna National Park (Madhya Pradesh), a partly degraded, dry deciduous forest habitat in Madhya Pradesh, central India. I captured and fitted radio-collars on several sloth bears and followed them to observe their behaviour and learn more about their secretive lives, such as, when did they sleep, what did they eat, how far did they … Read More
Mapping Sloth Bear Distribution in India and in Western Ghats of Karnataka
Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) inhabits tropical and sub-tropical habitats across India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Being the most common among the four species of bears in India, it is widely distributed from the foothills of the Himalayas to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. With sloth bear populations in the Himalayan foothills and northeast India becoming isolated, the Western Ghats and central Indian landscapes now possibly harbor the largest populations.
Despite their … Read More
Post-doctoral Associate (Wildlife SOS and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research)
Post-doctoral Associate
Application deadline: September 1, 2015
The Wildlife SOS and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research seek a Postdoctoral Associate in Reproductive Physiology. Initial funding is for 3 years with the potential of extending up to 2 additional years for up to 5 years total. There is a possibility of a long-term consultancy to conduct and oversee research at Wildlife SOS in India at the conclusion of the Post-doctoral fellowship. The candidate must have a strong commitment … Read More
Sloth bear cub trapped in snare — Rescued by Wildlife SOS & Karnataka Forest Department
In the early hours of 3rd December 2012, Wildlife SOS team in Bangalore headed by veterinarian Dr. Arun A Sha received an SOS call from the DFO Tumkur Division, Karnataka Forest Department about a sloth bear trapped in a snare. This was a very unusual case and we had little time to lose. The location was about 2-hours from Bangalore city (about 150 kms) in a village situated in Tumkur division.
The Wildlife SOS team from the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue … Read More
Sloth Bear in Nagarahole
This sloth bear was photographed in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in July 2011, around 6 PM. The bear was very bold and walked in the middle of the main road, near Karmodu junction. Though we knew that the gate near Veranahosahalli closed around 6 PM, we had to limit our speed to 30 km/hr in this area, as we knew a lot of animals were active. It was also raining heavily. This road is heavily used during weekends by tourists heading … Read More
Land for steel plants endangers Daroji bear sanctuary
BELLARY, Karnataka: Nature lovers and wildlife activists have expressed grave concern over the severe threat to “Karadidham”, Asia’s first and biggest sloth bear sanctuary, located near Hampi in Bellary district following allotment of land for steel plants.
“We are not against development and setting up of large-scale industries for value-addition to natural mineral wealth, particularly iron ore, in the district through the newly established Vijayanagar Area Development Authority (VADA). But our concern is for the severe threat posed to the … Read More
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