are classified as "vulnerable" by the IUCN. Experts assume that the population will collapse by 40% in many areas over the next 30 years. Loss of habitat and poaching are to blame.
Tibetan bears are killed for their gallbladder, fur and paws to be used in traditional Asian medicine. The poachers receive high prices for these products on the black market.
Tibetan bears, also known as Asian black bears or collared bears, once had a large distribution area that extended across large parts of Asia. They have now been eradicated in some areas.
The map shows the current and former distribution areas of the Tibetan bears:
Yellow: current distribution area
Purple: Occurrence possible, but not determined with certainty
Red: extinct; former distribution area
Tibetan bears have been spotted in the Western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, which is why this area was chosen to conduct a habitat study.
A study financed by the Görlitz Nature Conservation Zoo and assessed by the Zoological Society for Species and Population Protection (ZGAP) was intended to clarify in which areas Tibetan bears occur in the Western Himalayas and how they use their habitat.
For this purpose, camera traps were used at various locations in the project area.
Initial evaluations of the camera trap images were able to confirm the existence of Tibetan bears in Uttarakhand.
The data obtained will be used to implement the best possible species protection measures for the Tibetan bears in these areas. What is important here is local public relations work and a focus on sustainability in forest management.
