Abstract
Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) caused the highest number of human deaths between 2001 and 2015 and ranked second compared to other wild animals in causing human casualties in the Kanha-Pench corridor area. We studied the patterns of sloth bear attacks in the region to understand the reasons for conflict. We interviewed 166 victims of sloth bear attacks which occurred between 2004 and 2016 and found that most attacks occurred in forests (81%), with the greatest number of those (42%) occurring during the collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), 15% during the collection of fuelwood and 13% during grazing of livestock. The remainder took place at forest edges or in agricultural fields (19%), most occurring when person(s) were working in fields (7%), defecating (5%), or engaged in construction work (3%). Most victims were between the ages of 31 to 50 (57%) and most (54%) were members of the Gond tribe. The majority of attacks occurred in summer (40%) followed by monsoon (35%) and winter (25%). Forty-four percent of victims were rescued by people, while 43% of the time bears retreated by themselves. In 60% of attacks, a single bear was involved, whereas 25% involved adult females with dependent cubs and the remainder (15%) of the cases involved a pair of bears. We discuss the compensation program for attack victims as well as other governmental programs which can help reduce conflict. Finally, we recommend short-term mitigation measures for forest-dependent communities.
Highlights
The Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus Shaw, 1791, Carnivora: Ursidae: Ursinae), is one of four bear species found in India
We asked questions that provided information regarding variables associated with sloth bear attacks, such as the date and time of the attack, the activity of the victim during the attack, location of the attack, activity of the bear during the attack, number of bears encountered, the attack pattern of the bear, wounds sustained during the confrontation, as well as the defense method used by the victim (S1 File)
We found that an increase in attack frequency during the months of March, May and August (Fig 4) was correlated to an increase in forest visits for the collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)
Summary
The Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus Shaw, 1791, Carnivora: Ursidae: Ursinae), is one of four bear species found in India. It is omnivorous, feeding on social insects such as termites and ants, as well as on fruits such as Ziziphus mauritiana, Ficus benghalensis, and Aegle marmelos [1, 2]. Human - sloth bear conflict in the Kanha Pench corridor, Madhya Pradesh, India the first maxillary incisors, protrusible mobile lips, raised elongated palate, nearly naked mobile snout, slightly curved front claws, long shaggy coat and nostrils which can be closed voluntarily [3]. The sloth bear is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, having geographical distribution across India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The species has been extirpated from Bangladesh and is reported to be rare in Bhutan [3]
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