S3|EP4- Conserving the Mythical Himalayan Brown Bears of Kargil with Niaz Khan

The Think Wildlife Podcast

In August 2022, I had the very good fortune to explore the mountains of Dras, Kargil in search of one of India’s rarest terrestrial mammals - the Himalayan Brown Bear. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, there are less than 500 individuals remaining in the wild scattered across Western Himalayas and the Karakoram Mountains. Drass in the Kargil District of Ladakh and the neighbouring Deosai National Park in Pakistan remain their largest stronghold (tune in to this episode to learn why this region is so attractive for the bears!)

The future of the Himalayan Brown Bear lies in the balance with climate change causing significant disruption across the Himalayas. Changing climate patterns is altering the flowering of berries and other plants, reducing the availability of food for these omnivorous bears. This has significant implications for the ecology of brown bear. In fact, studies have found that both, the hibernation patterns of the Himalayan Brown Bear and the Asiatic Black Bear have been altered due to rising temperatures and reduce snowfall. Additionally, the bears have become significantly more reliant on livestock as food, hence exacerbating human-bear conflict.

The Himalayan Brown Bears also are threatened by severe habitat loss and degradation. Sadly, both the bears, and their habitat were collateral damage of the 1999 Kargil War. In the present scenario, haphazard development across the Himalayas has also further fragmented their habitats. The added pressure of free ranging dogs is a major threat to the biodiversity of Ladakh.

In this episode of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I interview Niaz Hassan Khan, a PhD Scholar at the Wildlife Institute of India. We talk about his work on Himalayan Brown Bears in Kargil and the way forward for their conservation.

The Think Wildlife Podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. 30% of revenue from optional paid subscriptions on Substack from this episode will be donated to WWF to support their work on high altitude mammals in Ladakh.

Meet the Host

Anish Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-banerjee-79ba63189/

Think Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/

Meet the Guest

Niaz Khan:

Recommended Wildlife Conservation Books

Wildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9Zh

Indian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCL

At the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN

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