Asiatic Black Bear–Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal

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  • Akshay Kumar Rawal
  • Sachin Timilsina
  • Subash Gautam
  • Saurav Lamichhane
  • Hari Adhikari

Our study assessed patterns of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)–human conflicts within the Guthichaur rural municipality, Jumla, Nepal. Through semi-structured interviews with villagers, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs), we gathered black bear–human conflict information from 2009 to 2019. We identified three primary types of black bear–human interactions: crop damage, livestock depredation, and human injuries. Of these, crop damage (77.03%) emerged as the most prevalent issue. Notably, peak occurrences were observed during autumn (September–October) typically between 9 PM and 3 AM. Livestock depredations were more frequent during nighttime in April–August, with cows/ox (70.12%) being the most depredated animal. Our data also revealed five recorded cases of black bear attacks on humans, which transpired from September to October, primarily in farmland areas in varying years. Despite a prevailing negative perception of bears, a notable level of support exists for their conservation efforts among local communities. Furthermore, these conflicts could be mitigated by reinforcing indigenous crop protection methods and implementing targeted mitigation strategies, as observed in other regions with successful black bear–human interaction management.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1206
JournalAnimals
Volume14
Issue number8
ISSN2076-2615
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Apr 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.

    Research areas

  • compensation, depredation, habitat, Himalayan black bear, human–black bear conflict

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