Activity pattern of the orphaned Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ursidae) cubs during rehabilitation processes

Parthankar Choudhury,Soumya Dasgupta,Parimal C. Bhattacharjee

doi:10.11609/jott.o3887.6371-5

Abstract

Five Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus cubs aged between 6.5-15 months were studied for five months using instantaneous scan sampling (n=3049 scans) while they were undergoing acclimatization in the rehabilitation areas in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. During the course of the study, feeding, moving, climbing, resting and playing activities were recorded in three consecutive time periods, representing three phases of acclimatization. The frequency of climbing and moving increased considerably towards the third phase, while feeding decreased. These changes can be attributed to a learning process during acclimatization. Time spent on moving and playing differed significantly among the bears, but not climbing or feeding.

Highlights

The behaviour of bears varies considerably among ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ;'ĂƌƐŚĞůŝƐ ϮϬϬκͿ dŚĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐŝĂƟĐ ůĂĐŬ ĞĂƌ ƌƵŶƐ ŶŽƌƚŚͲƐŽƵƚŚ ĨƌŽŵ ZƵƐƐŝĂ ƚŽ ƐŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ dŚĂŝůĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ĞĂƐƚͲǁĞƐƚ ĨƌŽŵ :ĂƉĂŶ ƚŽ /ƌĂŶ ;^ĞƌǀŚĞĞŶ Θ WĞLJƚŽŶ ϭεεεͿ ŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĂďůĞ ǁŽƌŬ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ĚŽŶĞ ŽŶ ďĞĂƌĂĐƟǀŝƚLJƉĂƩĞƌŶƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚƚŚŝƐĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶƌĂŶŐĞ ƌĞůLJŝŶŐ ƉƌŝŵĂƌŝůLJ ŽŶ ƐĂƚĞůůŝƚĞ Žƌ ƌĂĚŝŽ ƚĞůĞŵĞƚƌLJ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚƵĚŝĞƐŚĂǀĞƌĞǀĞĂůĞĚƚŚĂƚƐŝĂƟĐůĂĐŬĞĂƌƐĂƌĞĚŝƵƌŶĂů ;^ĐŚĂůůĞƌĞƚĂůϭεΘεZĞŝĚĞƚĂůϭεεϭͿĂŶĚŽďƐĞƌǀĂƟŽŶƐ ŽĨďĞĂƌƐŝŶĐĂƉƟǀŝƚLJĂůƐŽŝŶĚŝĐĂƚĞƚŚĂƚƚŚĞŝƌĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐĂƌĞ ŚŝŐŚĚƵƌŝŶŐĚĂǁŶĂŶĚĚƵƐŬ;tĂŶŐϭεεϬ,ǁĂŶŐΘtĂŶŐ
These states lie within the designated distribution range of the Tibetan subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus thibetanus
Cubs were taken for daily walks in the forest by the rehabilitator, and in the course of such exposure to varying micro-habitats the cubs were expected to get acquainted with the availability and distribution of resources, and they were exposed to other inter and intra-specific interactions

Summary

EXTINCT IN THE WILD

DĂŶƵƐĐƌŝƉƚĚĞƚĂŝůƐDƐηŽϯΘΘϳͮZĞĐĞŝǀĞĚϮϯĞĐĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϯͮ&ŝŶĂůƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚϬϯ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭκͮ&ŝŶĂůůLJĂĐĐĞƉƚĞĚϬρ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭκ ŝƚĂƟŽŶ ĂƐŐƵƉƚĂ^͕͘WŚŽƵĚŚƵƌLJΘW͘ŚĂƩĂĐŚĂƌũĞĞ ;ϮϬϭκͿĐƟǀŝƚLJƉĂƩĞƌŶŽĨƚŚĞŽƌƉŚĂŶĞĚƐŝĂƟĐůĂĐŬĞĂƌUrsus thibetanus;DĂŵŵĂůŝĂĂƌŶŝǀŽƌĂ hƌƐŝĚĂĞͿĐƵďƐĚƵƌŝŶŐƌĞŚĂďŝůŝƚĂƟŽŶƉƌŽĐĞƐƐĞƐJournal of Threatened Taxaς;ϭϬͿςϯϳϭςϯϳρ; ŚƩƉͬͬĚdžĚŽŝŽƌŐͬϭϬϭϭςϬεͬ:ŽddŽϯΘΘϳςϯϳϭͲρ.

Activity pattern of Asiatic Black Bear cubs

We recorded the activity patterns of five Asiatic

Results