The Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) is perhaps the least known
and least studied of the world’s subspecies of brown bears. Tibetan brown
bears were formerly abundant on the open steppes of Tibet, over the past few
decades, the population of these bears has declined drastically. Concurrent
with the decline, conflicts between Tibetan brown bears and nomadic
livestock herders in Tibet have increased. Such conflicts are diverse,
including the killing of livestock both in corrals and on open pastures; damage
to homes, home furnishings, and corrals; loss of large quantities of meat, flour,
oil, and other stored human foodstuffs; and the occasional injury or even
death of herders. It appears that many brown bears in the region now subsist
to a significant degree on human foodstuffs, and young bears may be more
apt to learn the skills of obtaining human-related foods than hunting pikas.
In the spring of 2006, the WWF China-Lhasa Field Office conducted a survey
to evaluate the extent of conflict between humans, bears, and other large
mammals in the south-central Chang Tang region. Results revealed that an
alarming 60% of survey respondents in Tibet’s Shenzha County had
experienced conflict with brown bears since 1990, and that the frequency of
conflict with brown bears had increased 4.7 fold between 1990 and 2006. A
particularly large surge in conflicts occurred since 2004.This is believed to be
due in large part to rigorous enforcement over the past six years of nature
reserve regulations banning hunting and the possession of firearms
The conflict between the brown bear and local herder has become the major
threat for brown bear conservation in the Chang Tang. The herders are often
committed to quiet killing of bears, and the bears continue to deliver damages
to the livestock and herders’ tents and houses. It is certain that the conflict
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