ASIAN BLACK BEAR | 𝘜𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴

ASIAN BLACK BEAR (Ursus thibetanus)

The sun is tinting the eastern sky of Kashmir with pink and orange hues. It’s late February, and the frigid air of this morning is so clear and crystalline that the distant peaks of the Himalayas seem closer than ever.

The fir trees are ignited by the light of the rising star, and life begins to awaken in this frosty winter dawn.

On a southeast-facing snowy slope, a black spot is moving, corrupting and enlivening the chilly, pristine stillness of the snow-covered clearing.

A Tibetan bear has just emerged from its den where it spent the winter, and now, perhaps anticipating the imminent end of hibernation, it has come out to take a look. There it is, rolling in the fresh snow and admiring the condensation of its breath rising to the sky in strange plays of light.

The Tibetan bear, also known as the “Asian black bear” or “collared bear” and “moon bear,” due to the crescent-shaped white patch adorning its chest, is the most widespread bear in the southern belt of Asia.

It can be found from southern Iran to Japan and from Siberia to Thailand.

Apart from the crescent moon on its chest, the most prominent feature of the Tibetan bear is the imposing ruff of fur adorning its neck, giving its head a gigantic appearance.

Tibetan bears are generally omnivorous, like almost all bears. They eat a variety of foods, including larvae, fruits, roots, acorns, eggs, mushrooms, and even grass. Although most of their diet consists of plant-based or invertebrate food, Tibetan bears can also be formidable hunters, preying on wild goats, wild boars, deer, and even water buffaloes.