Endangered Himalayan Brown Bear sighted in Drass

Three critically-endangered Himalayan Brown Bears were sighted in Drass sector of Ladakh region on Wednesday.

Locals said that the endangered brown bears were sighted in the mountainous Drass area after their hibernation.

   

Director Handicrafts and Handloom and an avid wildlife watcher Mahmood Ahmad Shah also posted a video of the brown bears captured by some locals near Drass area of Kargil district on a social media handle.

In the video, three brown bears can be seen in an area near Drass.

A senior wildlife official said that they expect more animals to be active in the area.

The population of brown bear is declining all over and sightings are rare elsewhere.

During 1999 Kargil War, there was heavy artillery shelling for 3 months and it had devastated the bear habitat.

However, it seems the impact is waning now and it could be the other reason for increase in the numbers, a wildlife official said.

“Brown bear usually hibernate and go for aestivation to avoid harsh environmental and climatic conditions. The phase sets in usually in the month of October and lasts till the onset of spring,” he said.

Meanwhile, locals said that the brown bears during the past few days have devoured many livestock including goats and sheep in these areas.

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