Post by warsaw on Dec 12, 2010 14:30:19 GMT -9
Sloth bears are seen in various national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. In the heart of Karnataka and hardly 10 miles away from the world heritage site of Hampi, lies the lesser known “Daroji Bear Sanctuary”, which boasts of being the abode of over a hundred sloth bears as of today. The Sanctuary is one of the youngest wildlife sanctuaries of the country which was established in 1994. Here we publish an illustrated article by Jayanth Sharma. — Ed
In the Ramayana, the mighty “Jambhavantha” who along with the army of langurs helped Lord Rama fight Ravana, was a bear in the Kishkinda Mountain. This mountain around Hospet, which was apparently the home of the “Vanaras” (Langurs or monkeys) in the Ramayana is even now the abode of numerous langurs and bears. “The Jungle Book”, a very famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, features “Baloo” the bear who becomes Mowgli’s good friend risking his own life in order to save Mowgli on many occasions. Both in central India which inspired Jungle Book and the area around Kishkinda, the kind of bears found are known as “sloth bears” and in many such works of literature, sloth bears have found unique and special roles to play.
Inhabiting the forests of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh “sloth bears” (Melursus ursinus) are one of the many species of bears like the Giant Panda, Polar Bear, Brown bears etc., found elsewhere in the world. Sloth bears, endemic to the Indian subcontinent are further classified as the “Indian Sloth Bears” and the “Sri Lankan Sloth Bears”. While their Sri Lankan cousin is critically endangered numbering less than a thousand in the wild, in India a maximum of 15,000 sloth bears exist today in the wild making them vulnerable to extinction.
Covered with rough shaggy black hair, the sloth bears possess a unique “V” shaped chest marking, a black nose with a long snout with bare lips. Sloth bears can close their nostrils completely at their own will and possess slender bodies and limbs which are designed to climb tall trees as well as dig the ground for insects such as termites. The sickle-shaped claws resemble the claws of the “sloth”, which probably gave the “sloth bear” its name.
Sloth bears, which are mostly nocturnal, weigh up to 150 kilos and can grow as tall as six feet high. Bears can run faster than humans and are often the most dangerous animals in such jungles. For those who frequent the Indian jungles, sloth bears present a humungous danger — much worse than that of the big cats.
Threatened species:
Spread across most of the Indian subcontinent, these bears prefer the forests and scrub jungles at lower elevations. They love dry forests and can usually be spotted at rocky terrains. Once found in most forests of India, sloth bears have now scattered in a few areas across the country making them one of the threatened species of the country.
In Karnataka, these bears are seen in various national parks and wildlife sanctuaries like the Nagarahole National Park, the Bandipur National Park, BRT Wildlife Sanctuary (BR Hills), and most of the forests of the Western Ghats. In the heart of Karnataka and hardly 10 miles away from the world heritage site of Hampi, lies the lesser known “Daroji Bear Sanctuary”, which boasts of being the abode of over a hundred sloth bears as of today. In what can be called as Karnataka Forest Department’s best kept secret, Daroji Bear Sanctuary is one of the youngest wildlife sanctuaries of the country, established in 1994.
The rocky terrain stretching between Daroji of Sandur taluk and Ramasagar of Hospet in the Bellary district have been the home of sloth bears since time immemorial. Wild local fruit-bearing trees and bushes like kavale, jane, ulupi, nerale, etc., in these territories along with sufficient water holes around, apart from the attractive termites and honey for the bears keep them confined within the area.
Males wander around a small territory here as food and water is available all throughout the season. Being expert climbers, the bears reach out to the tall trees to bring down nutritious honeycombs to feed up on. In Daroji Bear Sanctuary, a tall watchtower over - seeing the entire area is built for the tourists to sit back and enjoy the teddy bear treat. Bears, which sleep during the day, normally get up after noon and start showing up in these areas for their daily dose of sucrose. One can silently enjoy sighting them constantly for hours till sunset, from the distant watchtower.
Approximately at the age of three, the females reach sexual maturity. Their gestation period spans about six to seven months after which cubs are born. It takes at least a couple of weeks for the cubs to open their eyes and venture out. Mother bears are exceptional guards of their offsprings and they nurture their little ones with maximum care. Males are tolerant towards such cubs and they do not kill the cubs like tigers or lions do. Every other year the females are ready to breed, increasing the survival rate of sloth bears.
Common threats for wildlife like, loss and fragmentation of available habitats are a major concern to the depleting sloth bear population of the Indian subcontinent. While the young bears face danger from other predatory animals like the tigers and the leopards, the adult bears are exceptional warriors who are known to have chased or even killed tigers. Though being very short sighted, their exceptional sense of smell and amazing sense of sound makes sloth bears very fierce and capable animals.
Apart from killing of bears as sources of medicinal value and fur, they are captured across India to be tamed and used in circuses and as street entertainers. It is believed that at least two thousand bears in India and Pakistan entertain public by dancing to the tunes of their masters. Organizations like the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Wildlife Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are working towards sensible solutions to prevent poaching of bear cubs used for entertaining people by bear dancing communities. Probably when people don’t want to see bears dancing, the “Bear Dancer” communities like the Kalandars will find other means to earn livelihood.
Daroji Bear Sanctuary is one safe haven for various species like hyenas and leopards and particularly the sloth bears. Many tour operators in Hampi organize trips for tourists to this wilderness wonderland. Daroji can be at its best during August to April every year.
Jayanth Sharma
www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/starofmysore/bear.htm
Bearing the heat for the Teddy Bear treat
www.wildlifetimes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=583&sid=b4f4e9a805f55fafc9ab29a571b5937a
In the Ramayana, the mighty “Jambhavantha” who along with the army of langurs helped Lord Rama fight Ravana, was a bear in the Kishkinda Mountain. This mountain around Hospet, which was apparently the home of the “Vanaras” (Langurs or monkeys) in the Ramayana is even now the abode of numerous langurs and bears. “The Jungle Book”, a very famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, features “Baloo” the bear who becomes Mowgli’s good friend risking his own life in order to save Mowgli on many occasions. Both in central India which inspired Jungle Book and the area around Kishkinda, the kind of bears found are known as “sloth bears” and in many such works of literature, sloth bears have found unique and special roles to play.
Inhabiting the forests of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh “sloth bears” (Melursus ursinus) are one of the many species of bears like the Giant Panda, Polar Bear, Brown bears etc., found elsewhere in the world. Sloth bears, endemic to the Indian subcontinent are further classified as the “Indian Sloth Bears” and the “Sri Lankan Sloth Bears”. While their Sri Lankan cousin is critically endangered numbering less than a thousand in the wild, in India a maximum of 15,000 sloth bears exist today in the wild making them vulnerable to extinction.
Covered with rough shaggy black hair, the sloth bears possess a unique “V” shaped chest marking, a black nose with a long snout with bare lips. Sloth bears can close their nostrils completely at their own will and possess slender bodies and limbs which are designed to climb tall trees as well as dig the ground for insects such as termites. The sickle-shaped claws resemble the claws of the “sloth”, which probably gave the “sloth bear” its name.
Sloth bears, which are mostly nocturnal, weigh up to 150 kilos and can grow as tall as six feet high. Bears can run faster than humans and are often the most dangerous animals in such jungles. For those who frequent the Indian jungles, sloth bears present a humungous danger — much worse than that of the big cats.
Threatened species:
Spread across most of the Indian subcontinent, these bears prefer the forests and scrub jungles at lower elevations. They love dry forests and can usually be spotted at rocky terrains. Once found in most forests of India, sloth bears have now scattered in a few areas across the country making them one of the threatened species of the country.
In Karnataka, these bears are seen in various national parks and wildlife sanctuaries like the Nagarahole National Park, the Bandipur National Park, BRT Wildlife Sanctuary (BR Hills), and most of the forests of the Western Ghats. In the heart of Karnataka and hardly 10 miles away from the world heritage site of Hampi, lies the lesser known “Daroji Bear Sanctuary”, which boasts of being the abode of over a hundred sloth bears as of today. In what can be called as Karnataka Forest Department’s best kept secret, Daroji Bear Sanctuary is one of the youngest wildlife sanctuaries of the country, established in 1994.
The rocky terrain stretching between Daroji of Sandur taluk and Ramasagar of Hospet in the Bellary district have been the home of sloth bears since time immemorial. Wild local fruit-bearing trees and bushes like kavale, jane, ulupi, nerale, etc., in these territories along with sufficient water holes around, apart from the attractive termites and honey for the bears keep them confined within the area.
Males wander around a small territory here as food and water is available all throughout the season. Being expert climbers, the bears reach out to the tall trees to bring down nutritious honeycombs to feed up on. In Daroji Bear Sanctuary, a tall watchtower over - seeing the entire area is built for the tourists to sit back and enjoy the teddy bear treat. Bears, which sleep during the day, normally get up after noon and start showing up in these areas for their daily dose of sucrose. One can silently enjoy sighting them constantly for hours till sunset, from the distant watchtower.
Approximately at the age of three, the females reach sexual maturity. Their gestation period spans about six to seven months after which cubs are born. It takes at least a couple of weeks for the cubs to open their eyes and venture out. Mother bears are exceptional guards of their offsprings and they nurture their little ones with maximum care. Males are tolerant towards such cubs and they do not kill the cubs like tigers or lions do. Every other year the females are ready to breed, increasing the survival rate of sloth bears.
Common threats for wildlife like, loss and fragmentation of available habitats are a major concern to the depleting sloth bear population of the Indian subcontinent. While the young bears face danger from other predatory animals like the tigers and the leopards, the adult bears are exceptional warriors who are known to have chased or even killed tigers. Though being very short sighted, their exceptional sense of smell and amazing sense of sound makes sloth bears very fierce and capable animals.
Apart from killing of bears as sources of medicinal value and fur, they are captured across India to be tamed and used in circuses and as street entertainers. It is believed that at least two thousand bears in India and Pakistan entertain public by dancing to the tunes of their masters. Organizations like the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Wildlife Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are working towards sensible solutions to prevent poaching of bear cubs used for entertaining people by bear dancing communities. Probably when people don’t want to see bears dancing, the “Bear Dancer” communities like the Kalandars will find other means to earn livelihood.
Daroji Bear Sanctuary is one safe haven for various species like hyenas and leopards and particularly the sloth bears. Many tour operators in Hampi organize trips for tourists to this wilderness wonderland. Daroji can be at its best during August to April every year.
Jayanth Sharma
www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/starofmysore/bear.htm
Bearing the heat for the Teddy Bear treat
www.wildlifetimes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=583&sid=b4f4e9a805f55fafc9ab29a571b5937a