Sloth Bear Research Articles

Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) fail to spontaneously solve a novel problem even if social cues and relevant experience are provided.

The ability to solve novel problems is crucial for the survival and fitness of individuals living in dynamic environments. Studies of problem-solving date back to the beginning of the past century, but our knowledge is nonetheless still limited to very few taxa. In this study, we aimed to test a species of the order Carnivora, sloth bears (Melursus ursinus), on the ability to solve a novel foraging task. Bears were individually presented with honey spread on the wall and a familiar bucket, and, depending on the condition, they had to move the bucket and climb on it to access the honey. In follow-up conditions, they also repeatedly received cues to help them solve the task: before being tested, they either observed a human experimenter solving the problem or received direct relevant experience about how to solve the task. Despite high motivation, and in contrast to our predictions, none of the tested bears used the bucket to access out-of-reach food, even when social information and direct relevant experience were provided. These findings suggest that bears in this task may have failed to cognitively represent the problem and recognize the relevant aspects that would have led to its solution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Fruiting Species Influence the Seasonal Use of the Habitat by Sloth Bear in and around Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India

Sloth bear populations in India are threatened, and the ecology and distribution of the species occurring in the region's protected areas are known, but there is no scientific basis underlying management strategies for sloth bear. We used bear indirect and opportunistic direct signs like feeding site, scats, foot print trails, claw marks on climbing trees, to study habitat use and distribution of sloth bear (Melurus ursinus) across Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary and Danta Reserve Forest, Gujarat, India from April, 2010 to January 2011. We survey 40 grids (5 × 5 km) 3 km signs survey = 120 km × 3 = 360 km and total 766 bear signs were recorded, and for vegetation we surveyed 40 grids × 2 km vegetation transect = 80 km were sampled. A total of nine (9) vegetation types were recorded and the bear sign where crossed check with the vegetation forest type. Fruits appear to be a key resource for sloth bears, and factors affecting fruit abundance or seasonality will affect bear foraging as well as the humans to depend on such fruits as a food common resource. Knowledge of this relationship will allow managers to be more proactive in managing bears. We recommend using sign surveys for monitoring changes in sloth bear presence, as they are inexpensive, efficient, and can be conducted by trained rangers.

Prevalence, Molecular Diagnosis and Management of Klebsiella species in Captive Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus)

Prevalence, Molecular Diagnosis and Management of Klebsiella species in Captive Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus)

人熊冲突缓解措施研究进展——以三江源国家公园为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 人熊冲突缓解措施研究进展——以三江源国家公园为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201904060672 作者: 作者单位: 中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所,中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所,中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所,中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所,祁连山国家公园青海省管理局,中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所,中国林业科学研究院森林生态环境与保护研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划（2017YFC0506405） Summary comments on human-bear conflict mitigation measures and implications to Sanjiangyuan National Park Author: Affiliation: Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry,Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry,Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry,Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry,,,Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:人与熊科动物之间的冲突已成为亚洲、欧洲和美洲地区的一个普遍问题，科学有效的人熊冲突管控措施有助于人熊共存机制的建立。目前，全球范围内肇事熊科动物涉及7种，分别为棕熊、亚洲黑熊、美洲黑熊、北极熊、马来熊、懒熊和眼镜熊。肇事类型主要包括伤人、捕食牲畜、入侵房屋、损害庄稼、袭击蜂箱以及翻食垃圾。引发人熊冲突的原因与人类活动范围扩大、熊科动物种群数量上升、熊科动物生境质量下降、熊科动物自然食源周期性短缺、人类食物来源易获得性以及公众对肇事熊的容忍度下降有关。国际上已有的人熊冲突缓解措施包括物理措施、生物措施、化学措施以及政策导向性措施，然而，多数措施的制定仅停留在措施本身的技术层面上，缺乏对地方实际情况和冲突驱动因素的分析。西藏棕熊属于棕熊的一种稀有亚种，生活在靠近人类的中亚高海拔地区。在中国三江源国家公园地区，人类与西藏棕熊的冲突引起了人们的关注，为协助制订有效的保育目标、解决区内人熊冲突问题，提出以下缓解建议：（1）缓解措施的制定需因地而异，综合考虑地方实际情况，如地理环境、法律法规、民俗文化以及宗教信仰等；（2）冲突类型多样，防熊措施需持续更新与完善；（3）加强人类社会发展与熊科动物生存之间的关系研究，探索人们生产生活方式的改变与熊科动物行为变化之间的关系；（4）加强棕熊生态学方面的研究，从棕熊生境质量、种群动态、自然食源以及生态系统完整性等方面去深入挖掘人熊冲突的驱动因素，进而从根本上制定缓解措施，促进三江源国家公园地区人熊共存。 Abstract:Conflicts between human and bears have become a universal problem in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Science-based solutions for mitigating the conflicts can contribute to establishment of mechanisms promoting human-bear coexistence. There are seven Ursidae species involved in human-bear conflicts. These include the brown bear (Ursus arctos), Asiatic black bear (U. thibetanus), American black bear (U. americanus), Polar bear (U. maritimus), Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), and Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). Damage types cover attacking human, preying on livestock, house break-ins, damaging crop, raiding beehive, and garbage raiding. Human-bear conflicts result from human encroachment, increase of the bear population, the habitat degradation, seasonal food shortages, accessibility of anthropogenic food sources, and decreasing public tolerance towards the Ursidae species. Present solutions to mitigate human-bear conflicts include the physical, biological, chemical, and policy-oriented measures. However, these tactics are only considered from the technical angle, and fail to take driving factors of human-bear conflicts and local realities into consideration. The Tibetan brown bear (U. arctos pruinosus) is a rare subspecies of brown bear living at high altitude in close proximity to humans in central Asia. In Sanjiangyuan National Park in China, human-bear conflict with the species is of concern. To help shape effective conservation goals for resolving human-bear conflicts in the area, we proposed that:(1) formulation of mitigation measures should be tailored to region, taking into account local realities such as geography, laws and regulations, culture and religious practices; (2) mitigation measures should consistently be updated and improved to address the varying types of damage; (3) research on the relationship between anthropogenic development and the Ursidae survival should be continued. Specifically, the relationship between lifestyle practices and animal behavior should be explored; and (4) research on the ecology of the Tibetan brown bear should be strengthened to identify the driving factors of human-bear conflict in terms of habitat quality, population dynamics, natural food sources, and ecosystem integrity. Mitigation measures should be formulated at a fundamental level with regular assessment of efficacy to promote peaceful human-bear coexistence in Sanjiangyuan National Park. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Supplemental Material for Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus) Fail to Spontaneously Solve a Novel Problem Even if Social Cues and Relevant Experience Are Provided

Supplemental Material for Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus) Fail to Spontaneously Solve a Novel Problem Even if Social Cues and Relevant Experience Are Provided

Sloth Bear Attacks on Humans in Central India: Implications for Species Conservation

Sloth Bear Attacks on Humans in Central India: Implications for Species Conservation

Rapid species identification of sloth bears from non-invasive samples: a PCR-based assay

Once common throughout the Indian subcontinent, the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is restricted to certain areas and is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Habitat loss and fragmentation is the primary reason for population decline, but there is a dearth of information about the effects of fragmentation on connectivity and genetic variation. Non-invasive DNA samples are commonly used to investigate connectivity and monitor populations in the wild. We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) –based technique to identify sloth bears from non-invasively collected samples. Three sets of primers were designed to amplify short fragments of mitochondrial DNA to reduce false negatives, which is an issue with non-invasively collected DNA. The PCR success rate in both fresh and dry samples was high (88%). Failure to amplify DNA from other co-occurring mammals confirmed species specificity. This approach provides an efficient method to identify sloth bear samples using non-invasively collected DNA.

A three-dimensional analysis of tooth-root morphology in living bears and implications for feeding behaviour in the extinct cave bear

ABSTRACTThe morphology of both crowns and tooth-roots reflects dietary specialisation in mammalian carnivores. In this article, we analyse the tooth-root morphology of maxillary teeth from CT scans of living bears (Ursus arctos, Ursus americanus, Ursus maritimus, Ursus thibetanus, Melursus ursinus, Helarctos malayanus, Tremarctos ornatus and Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in order to make inferences about the diet and feeding behaviour of the extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato). Specifically, we investigate two major mitochondrial clades of extinct cave bears recognized by previous authors: Ursus ingressus and Ursus spelaeus (U. spelaeus spelaeus, U. spelaeus ladinicus, U. spelaeus eremus). Our results indicate a close association between tooth-root surface area and feeding behaviour in all living bear species. Tooth-root surface area values of cave bears suggest that they relied more on vegetative matter than living brown bears (Ursus arctos) but subtle differences between these species/subspecies could also indicate different feeding strategies among the members of cave bear complex.

Comparative study on the rhythmic changes in haematological parameters between captive and free ranging wild sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)

ABSTRACTA study was conducted to assess the rhythmic changes in the haematological variables between captive and free ranging wild Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus). The animals were distributed into two groups, Group I (Captive Sloth bear; n = 15) and Group II (Free ranging wild sloth bear; n = 15). The blood samples were collected from 30 Sloth bears. In wild condition, the mean (±SD) of WBC and monocytes developed highly significant (p < 0.01) difference than captive whereas in captivity the RBC, haemoglobin and PCV revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) higher value than that of wild habitat. Based on sex, the mean (±SD) of RBC, haemoglobin and PCV were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in captive female than male whereas the MCH was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in male than female. Based on age, wild adult in mean (±SD) of WBC and captive adult in mean (±SD) of RBC, PCV and MCH showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher value as compared to their respective counterpart. Therefore, this comparative analysis of all hematological parameters of sloth bear based on habitat, gender and age would be evidenced enough for protection and conservation of the animal by better disease diagnosis and management in both captivity and free ranging wild habitat.

Reintroducing apex predators: the perils of muddling guilds and taxocenoses.

Wolf & Ripple [1] make the case for ‘large carnivore' conservation through reintroductions. The selected species, however, were neither necessarily apex predators nor carnivores, but a subset of the mammalian order Carnivora, including those ranging from insectivores–omnivores (sloth bear, Melursus ursinus [2,3]; sun bear, Helarctos malayanus [4]) to herbivores–omnivores (Andean bear, Tremarctos ornatus [3,5]; American black bear, Ursus americanus [6]), full omnivores (Asiatic black bear, Ursus thibetanus [7,8]; brown bear, Ursus arctos [9,10]) and several hypercarnivores (jaguar, Panthera onca [11]; dhole, Cuon alpinus [12]; cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus [13]). At first, Wolf & Ripple lump together mammalian carnivores (those in the order Carnivora, which may or may not be regular predators), apex predators (which occupy the top of food chains [14]) and any carnivore (which primarily consumes other vertebrates). Further, they mixed guilds (a group of species that exploit similar resources) with taxocenosis (a group of sympatric species sharing a common phylogenetic clade). Consequently, the authors provide a biased assessment of reintroduction priorities based on conservation imperatives that are not restricted to any of these groups, but primarily associated with apex predators. This commentary explores the development of this muddle, which I interpret to be mainly due to a combination of inaccurate use of nomenclature and concepts. Furthermore, the authors make some mistakes for a number of proposed reintroduction sites that proper investigation would have revealed to be inappropriate. Mammalian carnivores are not alone as apex predators, as the latter comprise a diverse set of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates on Earth [14], which include (but are not limited to) large raptors and large, predatory reptiles. By equating apex predators …

Three Tests To Measure Sloth Bears' Cognitive Skills

Three Tests To Measure Sloth Bears' Cognitive Skills

Estimating Mammalian Diversity and Relative Abundance Using Camera Traps in a Tropical Deciduous Forest of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Eastern India

Information on the status and distribution of species within a geographical region is vital for designing effective conservation plans. We assessed the diversity and abundance of medium to large sized mammals in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, eastern India by using remotely triggered camera traps from January 2013 to August 2013. A total 916 camera trap days at 65 trap stations were deployed. We recorded 912 independent photographs and identified 20 species of mammals. Based on photographic rate of each mammalian species, the small Indian civet Viverricula indica represented high relative abundance (RAI = 2.07) among the carnivore while the Asian elephant Elephas maximus among the herbivores (RAI = 9.72) and the sloth bear Melursus ursinus among the omnivores (RAI = 2.51). Large carnivores like the leopard Panthera pardus (RAI = 0.55) and the Asiatic wild dog Cuon alpinus (RAI = 0.11) were represented by a relatively low abundance. Frequency of various anthropogenic activities from movement of livestock, feral dogs and human traffic accounted for maximum photo capture (combined RAI = 30.7) and found to be negatively correlated with mammalian relative abundance. So an effective intervention incorporating the social and ecological components is desirable for wildlife conservation in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sloth bear Melursus ursinus maternity denning at the Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre, India

Little is known about Sloth bear Melursus ursinus birthing behaviour and denning. The Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre, India, which houses rescued bears, is visited by wild male Sloth bears during the breeding season (April–July). Two female Sloth bears have been impregnated by these wild males, giving researchers the opportunity to observe maternal behaviour closely. One female bear made use of an excavated a den to give birth and raise her cubs. A second bear gave birth in an excavated shallow cavity. Neither mother left the cubs for food or water for weeks (22 and 28 days, respectively). In the first case, the cubs eventually joined their mother leaving the den for food and water 20 days after the mother had initially left the den alone, whereas in the second case, the cub still had not joined the mother on outings for provisions after 68 days, when both were moved from the den area.

Causes of mortality in sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) housed in U.S. zoos

A retrospective mortality review was performed of necropsy records from 1905-2015 to determine the mortality trends present for the captive U.S. sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) population. Records were obtained for 68 bears from 17 institutions. Neonates had an average age at death of 7 days (median 0 days). Neonatal mortality accounted for a significant proportion of reviewed cases (29.4%) and was most often due to stillbirth and infectious disease. Juvenile mortality was uncommon (2.9%). The average age at death for adult bears was 16.7 yr, with females surviving a few years longer than males. Biliary adenocarcinoma was the leading cause of death for adult bears (58.7-65.2%) with no apparent gender predilection. Possible causative factors for the high frequency of biliary adenocarcinoma in sloth bears are proposed and compared to other species including humans.

New Records of Albino Spectacled Cobra Snakes (Naja naja) in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh is home of an estimated 1.798 million population with a total area of 285.88 (square kilometres). Bhopal and nearby areas is rich in terms of its faunal & floral diversity. It is a home to several endangered, endemic and rare species. It is surprising that big cat like Tiger (Panthera tigris) Panther (Panthera pardus) mammals like Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), Jackal (Canis aureus), Blackbuck (A.cervicapra) are wandering near human settlements in search of prey, shelter and water. It's also home of large no of bird’s species, migratory birds’ herpetofauna (Crocodile, lizard snake and amphibians) and fishes. This is rarest sighting in recent history of India Albino wild animal or other animals are extremely rare, albino animals, including the Cobras. First report of albinism in Spectacled Cobra is recorded in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier to this no published studies on Albino snake in Madhya Pradesh but few sighting evidence reported.

Understanding of object properties by sloth bears, Melursus ursinus ursinus

Recent studies have shown that several species within the Carnivore order show impressive cognitive skills. However, bears, especially sloth bears, have received little attention with regard to their cognitive abilities. Here we presented seven sloth bears with three tasks to test their object permanence, short-term memory and ability to use acoustic cues to infer food location. In the object permanence test, subjects saw an object disappear in one of the three holes of a tree trunk. Bears retrieved the food in the correct hole significantly above chance, suggesting that they have some basic understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible. To study sloth bears' short-term memory, we used different time delays (30 s, 60 s, 2 min) between the object's disappearance and the subject's retrieval. Bears performed at chance levels in all conditions. In the acoustic cues test, the experimenter shook one of two identical opaque containers, only one of which had been baited: when the baited container was shaken, this made a noise and thus revealed the presence of food inside; when the unbaited container was shaken, there was no noise, revealing by exclusion the presence of food in the other container. In both cases, bears selected the baited container significantly above chance. As sloth bears are a mainly insectivorous solitary species, good performance in the object permanence and acoustic cue tests suggests that their cognitive skills may be the result of foraging challenges rather than social ones. Failure in the short-term memory test, instead, may suggest that memory for short-term punctual events has little evolutionary significance for bears, although further studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions.

Pulmonary Contussion in a Free Ranging Sloth Bear (Melursusursinus)- A Case Report

The sloth bear (melursus ursinus) belongs to family Ursidae and it is endemic to Indian subcontinent. Sloth bear is completely protected under schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed as vulnerable species in the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Animals and also listed under Appendix I of CITES (Garshelis et al., 1999). Severe blow on chest by blunt object and leakage of blood from capillaries caused accumulation of blood in lung parenchyma , resulted into a condition known as Pulmonary contusion. The accumulation in the lung tissue interferes with efficiency of alveoli and bronchioles for gas exchange, potentially leading to inadequate oxygen levels (hypoxia) and death. A rare case of a pulmonary contussion has been noticed during routine post-mortem examination at School of Wildlife Forensic and Health, Jabalpur, (M.P.)

Point of Care Tuberculosis Sero-Diagnosis Kit for Wild Animals: Combination of Proteins for Improving the Diagnostic Sensitivity and Specificity.

Tuberculosis is a significant problem globally for domestic animals as well as captive and free ranging wild life. Rapid point of care (POC) serology kits are well suited for the diagnosis of TB in wild animals. However, wild animals are invariably exposed to environmental non-pathogenic mycobacterium species with the development of cross reacting antibodies. In the present study, POC TB diagnosis kit was developed using a combination of pathogenic Mycobacteria specific recombinant antigens and purified protein derivatives of pathogenic and non-pathogenic Mycobacteria. To benchmark the TB antibody detection kit, particularly in respect to specificity which could not be determined in wildlife due to the lack of samples from confirmed uninfected animals, we first tested well-characterized sera from 100 M. bovis infected and 100 uninfected cattle. Then we investigated the kit's performance using sera samples from wildlife, namely Sloth Bears (n=74), Elephants (n=9), Cervidae (n=14), Felidae (n=21), Cape buffalo (n=2), Wild bear (n=1) and Wild dog (n=1).In cattle, a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 90% were obtained. The diagnostic sensitivity of the kit was 94% when the kit was tested using known TB positive sloth bear sera samples. 47.4% of the in-contact sloth bears turned seropositive using the rapid POC TB diagnostic kit. Seropositivity in other wild animals was 25% when the sera samples were tested using the kit. A point of care TB sero-diagnostic kit with the combination of proteins was developed and the kit was validated using the sera samples of wild animals.

Substituting space for time: Empirical evaluation of spatial replication as a surrogate for temporal replication in occupancy modelling

AbstractOccupancy models that account for detection probability are important analytical tools in conservation monitoring. Traditionally, occupancy models relied on detection/non‐detection data generated from temporal replicates for estimating detectability. Due to logistical challenges and financial costs involved, many large‐scale field studies instead use spatial replication as a surrogate. The efficacy of the two approaches and their statistical validity has generally sought support from simulation‐based inferences rather than empirical data.Using the sloth bearMelursus ursinusas an example, we compared estimates of occupancy and detection probabilities obtained from temporal and spatial sampling designs. We carried out temporally replicated camera trap surveys and spatially replicated sign surveys across a 754‐km2area around Bhadra Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats of India.We sampled along forest/coffee plantation roads in 58 grid cells of 13 km2each, treating these cells as independent sites. We used the standard single‐season model for the camera trap survey data, and the single‐season correlated detections model (with Markovian dependence) for the sign survey data, and incorporated ecological covariates that likely influenced occupancy and detection probabilities.Occupancy estimates from the two surveys and corresponding modelling approaches were similar [ = 0.58 (0.03) for camera trap surveys; = 0.56 (0.03) for sign surveys]. In both cases, the influence of covariates corroborated oura prioripredictions. Site‐level estimates of occupancy from the two methods were highly correlated (r = .78). We generated a combined estimate of sloth bear occupancy in the region as an inverse‐variance weighted average of the two estimates [ = 0.57 (0.02)].Synthesis and applications. Studies that aim to evaluate occupancy models should account for spatial variation in occupancy/detection probabilities, particularly when making inferences on species–habitat relationships. We show that spatial replication can serve as a good surrogate for temporal replication in occupancy studies, which may be useful for distribution assessments of species when field resources are limited or logistical challenges preclude traditional survey approaches that yield temporally replicated data. Our results therefore provide a basis for efficient targeting of funds and field resources, particularly for practitioners involved in monitoring species at large landscape scales.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza A virus infection associated with respiratory signs in sloth bears (Melursus ursinus).

In 2009, a pandemic influenza A virus (pH1N1) spread globally in humans and infected a broad range of captive animals with close human contact. In February 2014, a pH1N1 virus was isolated from a sloth bear with respiratory signs at a US zoo, demonstrating that recurring epidemics present an ongoing threat to animals, including threatened species. This is the first report of pH1N1 infection in sloth bears. To understand the sloth bear virus within the global context of pH1N1, phylogenetic trees were inferred including full-length sequences from available non-human, non-swine hosts, representing four families in the order Carnivora and one order of birds. A combination of phylogenetic and epidemiological evidence strongly suggests the sloth bear was infected with a human-origin pH1N1 virus, supporting the implementation of biosecurity measures to protect human and animal health.