5 Wildlife Parks to Spot 4 Species of Bears Found in India
There are four species of bears found in India, Bears family of India includes Sloth Bear,Moon Bear,Brown Bear and Sun Bear. Sloth Bear species is native to the Indian subcontinent and listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.Asian Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear are found in the great valleys of Himalaya in north India. Barak Valley is only known habitat where Malayan sun bear found in India. All the images used are Indian Sloth bear, feel free to share pictures of Black, Brown and other species of bear family found in India.
Sloth Bear – Labiated Bear (Melursus ursinus)
Sloth Bear species is the real Jungle Book animal, native to the Indian subcontinent and feed on termites, honeybee colonies and fruits. Sloth bears are highly aggressive animals in their territories and listed as one of the most dangerous wild animal in India for attacking and killing humans in the wild area of Chhattisgarh.
Brown Bear – Himalayan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus)
Himalayan brown bear also known as Himalayan red bear is actually one of the subspecies of the giant brown bears and largest mammal in the Himalayan region of India. The Brown Bear is listed as critically endangered animal in India due to loss of suitable habitat and less number of protected areas.
Moon Bear – Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
The Asian black bear is popularly known as Asiatic black bear or moon bear because of white V shaped chest mark, like a half moon. Moon bears are lives in the northern parts of great Himalayas of the Indian subcontinent and classified as vulnerable.
Sun Bear – Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)
The Malayan sun bear sometimes known as the honey bear is one of the rare species of bear found in eastern India. Sun bear are also classified as Vulnerable and found only in the tropical rainforest of northeastern states of India, especially in the tropical evergreen rainforest of Barak Valley.
– Eurasian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos)
Eurasian Brown Bear also known as the common brown bear is one of the rare species of brown bear found only in the parts of northwest India. Hemis National Park of Ladakh region is the only known home of endangered Eurasian brown bear in India.
– Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger)
Himalayan Black Bear is the subspecies of Asian black bear, found only in the Himalayas of India. This endangered specie of bear occurs in very small range of Himalayas and total number is unknown.
– Black Bear and Brown Bear Found in India
Here is the list of wildlife parks of India, where one can easily spot the majestic creature into their natural home.
Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand
Nanda Devi National Park is situated around the Himalayan mountain peak of Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand. The high altitude park home to a wide variety of flora, Common larger mammals of Nanda Devi are snow leopard, Himalayan Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear.
Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir
Hemis National Park is largest national park of India and second largest protected area in the Himalayas. The high altitude national park of Ladakh is home to rare species of endangered Himalayan mammals including the snow leopard, Eurasian Brown Bear, golden eagle,Himalayan griffon vulture,Tibetan wolf and red fox.
Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh
Great Himalayan National Park of Himachal Pradesh is located in Kullu region and a habitat to numerous species of wild animals. The GHNP park and valley is home to high altitude Himalayan animals such as blue sheep, musk deer, snow leopard and Himalayan Brown Bear.
Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttarakhand
Valley of Flowers National Park of Uttarakhand is home to rare and endangered wild animals of Asiatic Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear. The valley is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserves and a UNESCO world heritage site.
Barak Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
Barak Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern region of Assam has very rich wildlife. Dhaleswari and Barail wildlife sanctuaries of the Barak valley region are home to rare species of wild animals such as Malayan Sun Bear,Hoolock gibbon, Phayre’s leaf monkey and Capped langur.
– Sloth Bear Found in India
The Sloth Bears are endemic to the Indian subcontinent, Mapping and distribution of Sloth Bears in India shows, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and Gujarat rank high on Sloth Bear population in India.
- Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand
- Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat
- Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan
- Tadoba National Park, Maharashtra
- Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
- Indravati National Park, Chhattisgarh
- Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot
Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Karnataka
Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary in Ballari of Karnataka is host to numerous sloth bears, created exclusively for the sloth bear of India. The Sanctuary is located 15 km from the World Heritage Site Hampi with Bukkasagara Forest Reserve.
Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Gujarat
Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary of Gujarat is located in the Jessore hills of Aravalli hills. The sanctuary host large number of Sloth Bear in India, Apart from sloth bear other animals found in the sanctuary are Indian porcupine,Indian pangolin,endangered Indian wolf, Caracal cat and striped hyena.
- Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary
- Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary
- Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary
Western Ghats habitat is like the tropical rainforest and the dense forest of Western Ghats region provides wild foods and natural habitats to endemic species of animals,birds, reptiles and Amphibians. Fauna of Western Ghats include critically endangered mammal species,major population of snake family,diverse, endemic and unique Amphibians. Sloth bears are found through out the region of Western ghats, Karnataka and Kerala are the best places to spot black sloth bear in Western ghats.
