Context:
Forest officers recently rescued two sloth bears from a village in Jharkhand by the People for Animals organisation.
Relevance:
GS III- Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Sloth bear
- Protection Status
About Sloth bear
- Sloth bears can be found in lowland parts of Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, and Nepal.
- Sloth bears consume termites and ants mostly, and unlike other bear species, they regularly carry their young on their backs.
- Honey is also a favourite food of theirs, hence the nickname “honey bear.”
- Sloth bears do not go into hibernation.
- Melursus ursinus is the scientific name for this species.
- It is a forest-dwelling bear from the Ursidae family (which includes eight species of bears) that lives in India and Sri Lanka’s tropical and subtropical climates.
Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable’
- CITES listing: Appendix I
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
- Threats: Habitat loss, poaching for body parts and are sometimes captured for use in performances or hunted because of their aggressive behavior and destruction of crops.
Source: Down to Earth
