Himalayan black bear mauling: offense or defense?

Abstract

The Asiatic Black Bear ( Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear is a omnivorous mammal. This animal is declared threatened animal and rarely comes in human contact. Recent decrease in forest area has, however, increased the chances of bear-human interaction, hence causing injuries to humans. There is only one published report in English literature on Himalayan black bear mauling. We present 5 cases referred to our department over a period of 1 year.