Asiatic Black Bear

The Asiatic Black Bear (Selenarctos thibetanus) is a close relative of the American Black Bear. This species looks much like its American cousin, but inhabits different parts of the world and never breeds with American Black Bears. This species lives in remote mountainous areas of Southern Asia. Very little information is available about its life cycle and habits. The isolated populations of the Asiatic Black Bear are found in Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Northern India, Bhutan, Burma, Southeast Russia, Northeast China, Taiwan, and several Japanese islands.

In some regions, the population of the Asiatic Black Bear is increasing, but in the most part of their range, these animals suffer from habitat destruction, human encroachment and excessive hunting. Only a few countries protect them by law. In many places, Asiatic Black Bear are hunted for their body parts used in Asian medicine. Black Bears occasionally raid livestock and damage cornfields, but it happens very rarely and cannot be a reason for killing these animals. The Asiatic Black Bear plays an important role in the ecosystem. It consumes many insects and carrion, eats fruits and berries and disperses their seeds.

Asiatic Black Bears are very timid and try to avoid humans. They spend most part of the day high in trees feeding on nuts and fruits. Usually, Black Bears are crepuscular, but being opportunistic feeders, they can search for food any time they want to. Like most bears, the Asiatic Black Bear is solitary, forming breeding pairs only once in several years. Pregnancy in Black Bears lasts for 220 days, including delayed implantation. To guarantee that the offspring will be born healthy and will have enough food, the fertilized egg is not implanted until the autumn. If the food was scarce because of some reason and the mother could not get enough fat, the embryonic development cannot start.

The cubs are born in winter. Asiatic Black Bears inhabiting warm climates don’t hibernate, but those that do give birth in the winter den. Females raise the cubs alone. They stay with the mother for 2-3 years and learn how to find food. If left without the mother, bear cubs die. Since the Asiatic Black Bear is very intelligent and curious, it needs a long period of learning to prepare for the adult life.