Human-Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) Conflicts in Nawada Forest Division, Nawada, Bihar, India

Abstract

Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and frequently come into conflict with human. Both in Rajauli Wildlife Sanctuary (RWLS) and Kauwkol Forest Range (KFR), sand mining operations create heavy noise during the summer for stone crushing which could be the cause of disturbance in the sloth bear territory and sloth bear attacks during the summer and winter. During the study period of 2016 to 2018, a total of 16 sloth bear attacks were incidently reported in various ranges of NFD. There was a marked seasonal variation in human casualties by sloth bear in the study area. Out of 16 cases, highest number of casualties were observed in monsoon (n=8, 50%) as compared to casualties in Summer (n=5, 31.25%) and winter (n=3, 18.75%) season. Most of the attacks were reported during 4.01-8.00 hours (n=6, 37.5%), followed by incidences occurred during evening time, 16.01-20.00 hours (n=4, 25%), 8.01-12.00 hrs (n=3, 18.75%) and 12.01-16.00 (n=2, 12.5%). Moreover, males (n=10) were shown to have a 62 percent attack rate compared to females (n=6; 38 percent). The data also shows that the frequency of attacks on victims engaged in various activities were related to their intensity of usage of specific habitats. It is reported that highest incidences of HSBC occurred when the victims were engaged in NTFP collection (37.5%), followed by victims engaged in walking (25%), farming (18.75%), defection (12.5%) and cattle grazing (6.25%) activities. We recommend education programs among the people to reduce human injury through mitigation techniques.