Human–Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) interactions in the Kaghan Valley, Pakistan. Issue 5 (3rd September 2018)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Human–Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) interactions in the Kaghan Valley, Pakistan. Issue 5 (3rd September 2018)
- Main Title:
- Human–Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) interactions in the Kaghan Valley, Pakistan
- Authors:
- Ali, Ashfaq
Waseem, Muhammad
Teng, Mingjun
Ali, Saqib
Ishaq, Muhammad
Haseeb, Abdul
Aryal, Achyut
Zhou, Zhixiang - Abstract:
- Abstract : Few studies have reported on the distribution, food choices, general behaviour, and interactions of the Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) with humans. We explored the conservation status of the species and its conflicts with humans in the Kaghan Valley, northwest Pakistan. From September 2013 to December 2015, residents from 24 villages in three major regions of the Kaghan Valley were interviewed about human–bear conflicts. In parallel, a survey for signs of bear presence was conducted to assess bear presence, including bear attacks and crop damage that occurred during the survey period. Most interviewees (70%) confirmed that human–bear conflicts exist, and that they arise primarily from crop raiding ( n = 40), followed by attacks on livestock ( n = 32) and humans ( n = 15). Most interviewees stated that they actively disliked bears (47.3%), or had a generally negative perception of bears (63.3%). Such responses were strongly associated with living close to or within bear habitat. Bears raided approximately 3.8 ha of maize per year, mainly from July to September. Our survey revealed that bears used habitats ranging from dense forest to scrub lands, but preferred steep, high-altitude habitats with dense tree cover. Anthropogenic activities (such as hunting, clear-cutting, expansion of infrastructure, and conversion of forest to agricultural land) were the main causes of conflict between humans and bears. Future studies should collect data on the movementAbstract : Few studies have reported on the distribution, food choices, general behaviour, and interactions of the Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) with humans. We explored the conservation status of the species and its conflicts with humans in the Kaghan Valley, northwest Pakistan. From September 2013 to December 2015, residents from 24 villages in three major regions of the Kaghan Valley were interviewed about human–bear conflicts. In parallel, a survey for signs of bear presence was conducted to assess bear presence, including bear attacks and crop damage that occurred during the survey period. Most interviewees (70%) confirmed that human–bear conflicts exist, and that they arise primarily from crop raiding ( n = 40), followed by attacks on livestock ( n = 32) and humans ( n = 15). Most interviewees stated that they actively disliked bears (47.3%), or had a generally negative perception of bears (63.3%). Such responses were strongly associated with living close to or within bear habitat. Bears raided approximately 3.8 ha of maize per year, mainly from July to September. Our survey revealed that bears used habitats ranging from dense forest to scrub lands, but preferred steep, high-altitude habitats with dense tree cover. Anthropogenic activities (such as hunting, clear-cutting, expansion of infrastructure, and conversion of forest to agricultural land) were the main causes of conflict between humans and bears. Future studies should collect data on the movement and habitat use of individual bears to facilitate the development of appropriate management strategies to conserve this species effectively. We also recommend training Wildlife Department employees to interact with the local communities to implement acceptable mitigation measures to reduce the currently high conflict levels and thus improve acceptance for bear presence and conservation. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Ethology, ecology & evolution. Volume 30:Issue 5(2018)
- Journal:
- Ethology, ecology & evolution
- Issue:
- Volume 30:Issue 5(2018)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 30, Issue 5 (2018)
- Year:
- 2018
- Volume:
- 30
- Issue:
- 5
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2018-0030-0005-0000
- Page Start:
- 399
- Page End:
- 415
- Publication Date:
- 2018-09-03
- Subjects:
- Asiatic black bear -- crop raids -- human–bear conflict -- Kaghan Valley -- Ursus thibetanus -- Western Himalayas
Animal behavior -- Periodicals
Animal ecology -- Periodicals
Behavior evolution -- Periodicals
Behavior, Animal -- Periodicals
Ecology -- Periodicals
Biological Evolution -- Periodicals
Écologie animale -- Périodiques
Évolution du comportement -- Périodiques
Éthologie -- Périodiques
Animal behavior
Animal ecology
Behavior evolution
Periodicals
Electronic journals
591.5 - Journal URLs:
- http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/20334991.html ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/teee20/current ↗
http://www.unifi.it/unifi/dbag/eee/ ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1080/03949370.2017.1423113 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0394-9370
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 7064.xml