Sloth Bears in India
Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) are little known
bears native to the Indian subcontinent. National Zoo scientists
are beginning a wide-ranging set of studies
in
support of
the
conservation
of the endangered
sloth bear in the wild in India. Zoo staff are uniquely
positioned to lead this effort.
As far back as the early 1970s, Zoo Senior Curator Dr. John Seidensticker and his colleague Dr. Andrew Laurie were the first scientists to study sloth bears in the wild, in Nepal. Fifteen years later, Anup Joshi and his University of Minnesota advisors Drs. David Garshelis and David Smith, all Smithsonian Research Associates, took up the challenge of studying these bears in Nepal. At present, Dr. A. J. T. Johnsingh and K. Yoganand are studying sloth bears in central India. Johnsingh, who worked with Seidensticker in 1981 as a post-doctoral fellow, is head of the wildlife faculty at the Wildlife Institute of India. K. Yoganand was his graduate student; he is now a FONZ-supported post-doctoral fellow at the National Zoo.
We plan to continue training local students and future conservation leaders while studying the ecology, behavior, and physiology of sloth bears in support of their conservation.
Sustaining threatened wild sloth bear populations can be achieved only with a comprehensive understanding of their ecological and behavioral needs. Students and colleagues from the Indian subcontinent will conduct these studies.
We plan to
- assess the current distribution
and abundance of sloth bears through on-the-ground
surveys and geographic
information systems applications;
- examine the
relationship between ant and termite ecology, cattle
and buffalo
herding
practices, and sloth bear feeding ecology;
- conduct focal studies of what sloth bears need to survive
and reproduce in four key forest types;
- re-establish
sloth bears
where
they have been extirpated, after ensuring
these areas contain everything the bears need to survive
and
reproduce;
- devise creative ways to reduce conflict
between sloth
bears and
the people who live near them;
- assess
the scope of the dancing bear problem and develop
rehabilitation techniques
for these often-abused animals; and,
- hold conservation planning workshops in key areas that include all the stakeholders and partners to incorporate research results into conservation practices.
The National Zoo's new sloth bear exhibit on Asia
Trail will introduce these
animals to millions of people.
