Since time immemorial, man has endowed some wild animals with a special halo of mystery. These include white-breasted bears, which are the most ancient species. Their history goes back more than one million years.
Appearance
This bear has several different names - Asian, black, Tibetan, and is better known as Himalayan. His physique is not much different from other members of the bear family. But upon careful examination, you can see the features that are characteristic only of this species.
In terms of size, white-breasted bears are significantly inferior to their brown relatives. Adult males reach a length of no more than 170 cm, and their weight ranges from 110 to 150 kg. The physique is lighter, so these bears are more mobile and agile. Large rounded ears located on a relatively small head give the animal a peculiar look. The shiny and silky fur of a beautiful black-resinous color on the scruff of the neck forms a kind of collar. The white crescent-shaped mark on the chest is a special distinguishing mark of the bear, thanks to which it got its name. Life expectancy on average does not exceed 14 years. The meat of these animals is highly valued, which is of great interest to hunters. This was one of the reasons why white-breasted bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Habitat
The Himalayan bear inhabits the mountainous regions from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan to Japan and Korea. In Russia, it lives primarily in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. It is also found in northern Vietnam and the island of Taiwan.
This bear prefers to settle in cedar forests and fruit-bearing oak trees , where Manchurian walnut, linden, and Mongolian oak are found. Avoids spruce-fir taiga, birch forests and light forests. Usually, white-breasted bears live in a forest zone located along river valleys, mountain slopes, the height of which does not exceed 700-800 meters. They love places dominated by broad-leaved forests. In the Himalayas, they can be found in summer and at an altitude of up to 4 km, in winter bears usually descend to the foothills. White-breasted bears leave their places of choice only in cases when there are problems with food.
Lifestyle
This animal spends most of its life on trees, getting forage there and fleeing enemies.
Therefore, a
white-breasted (Himalayan) bear climbs trees perfectly, doing this with great dexterity until old age. The descent time even from a very tall tree takes no more than 3 seconds.
He also arranges a lair on a tree, choosing for this a large deep hollow at a height of at least eight meters or using an old tree with an empty core (poplar, linden or cedar). It gnaws a hole of the required size and develops the size of the space inside the tree. Each bear has such a den. In case of danger, there is always a backup option where he can take refuge. In hibernation, white-breasted bears spend about 5 months - from November to March, sometimes leave their den only in April.
These animals mainly seek solitude. But it happens that in places where there is a lot of food, several individuals can come together. In this case, a hierarchy is strictly observed, taking into account the age and weight of the male. This is especially evident with the onset of the mating season.
Bears build relationships with each other with the help of visual contact, demonstrating their status with a pose. If the animal sits down or lays down - this is a pose of submission. The same means moving backward. The dominant bear always moves towards its competitor.
The territory where white-breasted bears live is limited by urinary marks, with which males indicate the boundaries of their possessions. In addition, they rub their backs on tree trunks, leaving their smell on them.
Nutrition
The diet of these animals is mainly plant food, so spring is the hardest time for them. Before green vegetation appears in abundance, plant buds, last year's remains of acorns and nuts, roots and bulbs that have to be dug from the ground go to feed.
In early summer, when the first grass appears, the white-breasted bears descend into the valleys, eating young shoots of angelica, sedge and hogweed. Do not miss the opportunity to feast on the eggs of birds and chicks. When the berries of raspberries, currants, bird cherry, pine nuts ripen, they become the main food for bears. Even very old animals easily climb trees in search of food. At the same time they make it quite interesting. Having broken off and gnawed a branch with fruits, the bear palms it under itself, so after a while something forms like a nest under it. It can be in it for a very long time, eat and rest.
Like brown brethren, white-breasted bears are big lovers of honey. After him, they are ready to climb to any height, gnaw even the thickest wall of the tree, where wild bees settled.
In the harvest year, for the accumulation of fat reserves in a bear, only nuts and acorns are enough. For a month and a half of good feeding, the weight of the fat reserves of an adult is usually up to 30% of body weight.
Breeding and rearing offspring
Bears reach puberty by 3-4 years. The mating season lasts from about June to August, passing quite calmly. After 7 months, in winter, usually 1 or 2 almost naked and blind cubs are born in the female. Their weight does not exceed 800 g. After a month and a half, the kids are covered first with a gray fluff, which is soon replaced by black wool. They already see and hear quite well, can move around the den.
With the onset of spring, when a constant positive temperature is established, the cubs and their mother leave the den. By this time, their weight is increasing 5 times. They feed mainly on mother’s milk, and with the advent of green grass they gradually switch to pasture, which is especially abundant in river valleys. Little white-breasted bears descend with their mother, where they live until autumn.
The next winter they spend all together in a den, and by the fall they are already starting an independent life.
Limiting factors
Human activities and poaching do great harm to the populations of these bears. The local population rarely observes hunting rules, shooting animals at any time of the year, often after hibernating, even though the white-breasted bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Another factor contributing to a decrease in the number of these animals is commercial logging, fires. Hunters in search of prey often cut holes in hollow trees, after which they become unsuitable for bears. All this deprives animals of a safe environment for hibernation. It happens that they are forced to spend the winter right on the ground.
The lack of reliable shelter leads to an increase in the death of bears from predators. They can be attacked by a tiger, a brown bear, and cubs often become victims of a wolf and a lynx.
Security measures
After a white-breasted bear is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is completely prohibited. Particular attention is paid to the conservation of the main habitats of this species and strict control over the termination of the destruction of its shelters. An intensified fight against wolves is also aimed at preserving the population of white-breasted bears. To restore the number of these animals, nature reserves and reserves are created with favorable living conditions for them. Apiaries, where bears often visit, are equipped with special repellent devices.
Himalayan bear and man
This clever, despite its awkward appearance, and quick-witted animal has long attracted man. Many tales and legends are composed about him. The ability of the white-breasted bear to easily adapt to captivity has led some of this species to become true circus performers. They are very amenable to training and learn different tricks.
A permanent resident of the zoo, causing a lot of spectator sympathy, is a white-breasted bear. The Red Book, where these animals are listed, classifies them as vulnerable, and the inclusion of CITES in Appendix 1 of the CITES Convention means banning the movement of bears for commercial purposes.
Still, in captivity, keeping the Himalayan bears is quite difficult. In order to return them to their native land, a rehabilitation center has been created in Primorsky Krai, where animals learn to live in the wild.