Seasonal diets of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in the Khangchendzonga National Park, Eastern Himalaya India

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the seasonal diet of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) using scat analysis in the Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) and its surrounding. The study was carried out from 2017 to 2019 and 32 plant species were identified, along with animal matter from collected scats samples (n = 163). The identified food samples were placed into six categories: (i) vegetation (leaves of trees, shrubs, herbs and bamboo), (ii) hard mast (tree fruits and seeds), (iii) berries and soft mast (shrub fruits and seeds), (iv) agriculture and horticulture crops, (v) animal matter (insects & livestock), and (vi) unidentified items (roots, barks, twigs, etc.). The food preference of U. thibetanus comprises berries and succulent vegetation during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, whereas hard mast was mostly preferred in the post-monsoon and winter seasons. The present study showed that the diet of U. thibetanus depends on the availability and propensities of food items, especially vegetation and hard mast trees in their habitat, in and around the KNP. The extensive cultivations of large cardamom (Amomum spp.) in the fringe villages of KNP are more abundant than the cultivation of other agriculture and horticulture crops. As a result, this may lead towards more crop-raiding by U. thibetanus and force the bears to move towards settlements to a greater extent. The findings of the present study may help in better understanding the feeding ecology of U. thibetanus for their effective conservation, and aid in the management of human-black bear conflicts in the Eastern Himalayas.