📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Gannu03
Science
Wildlife Institute of India to Conduct Comprehensive Census of All Four Bear Species
✍️ https://www.indiagazette.com/
🗓 22 Oct 2026, 02:48 AM
👁 14
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) announced plans to estimate populations of the sloth bear, Himalayan brown bear, Indian black bear, and sun bear across the country.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has revealed that it will undertake a nationwide survey to estimate the numbers of all four bear species found in India.
The species targeted for the census are the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), Indian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), and the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Each of these bears occupies distinct ecological niches and faces different conservation challenges.
WII plans to use a combination of field surveys, camera‑trap monitoring, and community‑based reporting to gather data. The methodology will involve systematic transect walks in key habitats, deployment of motion‑sensitive cameras, and collaboration with local forest departments and NGOs.
The initiative is expected to provide critical baseline information that will inform national and state‑level conservation strategies, help assess the impact of habitat loss and human‑bear conflict, and guide the allocation of resources for protection measures.
Work is slated to begin in the coming months, with preliminary results anticipated by the end of the year. The institute will publish a comprehensive report that will serve as a reference for future research and policy formulation.
The species targeted for the census are the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), Indian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), and the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Each of these bears occupies distinct ecological niches and faces different conservation challenges.
WII plans to use a combination of field surveys, camera‑trap monitoring, and community‑based reporting to gather data. The methodology will involve systematic transect walks in key habitats, deployment of motion‑sensitive cameras, and collaboration with local forest departments and NGOs.
The initiative is expected to provide critical baseline information that will inform national and state‑level conservation strategies, help assess the impact of habitat loss and human‑bear conflict, and guide the allocation of resources for protection measures.
Work is slated to begin in the coming months, with preliminary results anticipated by the end of the year. The institute will publish a comprehensive report that will serve as a reference for future research and policy formulation.