ASIATIC BLACK BEARS (MOON BEARS): CHARACTERISTICS, BEHAVIOR, SUBSPECIES

ASIATIC BLACK BEARS

Asiatic black bear

Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) are also called Asian black bears and moon bears after the crescent shape white mark on the otherwise black bear has on its neck. This animal is widely distributed throughout the mountains and forests of Asia from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west to Japan in the east and Russia to the north and the Himalayan foothills to south. Further south in Southeast Asia their range overlaps a little bit with the range of the the rain-forest-loving sun bear.Asiatic black bears are relatively plentiful in some places but overall are threatened by overhunting and loss of habitat.

Asiatic black bears live in temperate and tropical environments in moist forests, on steep mountains, and in areas where the vegetation is thick. They often live at higher elevations in the summer, and descend during the winter. Occasionally, they come out of the forests to forage on plains. There are an adaptable species found in coastal and at elevations of over 4000 meters (13,123 feet). Between 16,000 and 25,000 of them live in high-altitude forests in Asia. They are a protected species.

The Asiatic black bear’s scientific name "Selanarctos thibetanus" literally means “moon bear of Tibet.” Also called the Tibetan black bear or Himalayan black bear, the animal is morphologically very similar to some prehistoric bears, and regarded by some scientists as the ancestor of all other existing bear species. Though largely herbivorous, Asiatic black bears can be very aggressive toward humans, and have frequently attacked people without provocation. The species was described by Rudyard Kipling as "the most bizarre of the ursine species."

Scientists have proposed that Asiatic black bears are a surviving, slightly-modified form of Ursus minimus, an extinct species that arose four million years ago. With the exception of the age of the bones, it is often difficult to distinguish the remains of Ursus minimus with those of modern Asiatic black bears. Asiatic black bears are close relatives to American black bears, with which they share a European common ancestor; the two species are thought to have diverged 3 million years ago, though genetic evidence is inconclusive. The earliest American black bear fossils greatly resemble the Asiatic species. One DNA study could not statistically resolve the branching order of sloth bears and the two black species, suggesting that sloth bears, moon bears and American black bears underwent a rapid radiation event.

The main natural predator of Asiatic black bears is the tiger, although leopards, and packs of wolves and dholes can be a threat. Eurasian lynxes are a potential predator of cubs. Black bears usually dominate Amur leopards in physical confrontations in heavily vegetated areas. The Asiatic black bear's range overlaps with that of sloth bears in central and southern India, sun bears in Southeast Asia and brown bears in the southern part of the Russian Far East. Russian brown bears may attack black bears, though Himalayan brown bears seem to be intimidated by them in direct encounters. They will eat the fruit dropped by black bears from trees, as they themselves are too large and cumbersome to climb.

Asiatic Black Bear Characteristics

Asiatic black bears are similar in general appearance to brown bears, but are more lightly built and are more slender limbed. On average they are slightly smaller than American black bears, though large males can exceed the size of several other bear species. Moon bears are the most bipedal of bears. They have been observed walking almost half a kilometer upright. They usually live for 25 to 30 years in the wild. The oldest Asiatic black bear in captivity died at the age of 44.

Asiatic black bear paws

Asiatic black bears stand 70 to 100 centimeters (28 to 40 inches) at the shoulder and have a head and body length of 120 to 195 centimeters (47 to 77 inches). Their tail is 11 centimeters (4.4 inches) long. The largest Asiatic black bear on record weighed 200 kilograms (440 pounds). Zoo-kept specimens can weigh up to 225 kilograms (500 pounds). When balanced on their hind legs moon bears can reach 1.5 to two meters tall.

Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males grow to around twice the size of females, however, females can often be dominant and can usually be distinguished by the thicker ruff of fur around their necks. Mature males typically weigh between 91 to 150 kilograms (200 to 330 pounds), with an average weight of about 113 kilograms (about 250 pounds). Females weigh about 65 to 90 kilograms (143 to 198 pounds), with large ones up to 140 kilograms (308 pounds).

Asiatic black bears have thick, shaggy fur, ranging in colour from ebony black to a lighter brown-black. Their fur is quite thick around the neck and shoulders, giving them a manelike ruff. Asiatic black bears living in warm areas such as northeast India have shorter, thinner coats. The black fur has a light beige to white “V” shape on the chest area, a small beige to white colored crescent across the throat, and a small spot of white on the chin. The white fur on the muzzle seldom reaches the orbits of the bear.

Asiatic Black Bear Anatomy

Asiatic black bears have rounded heads, big round ears and short, strong claws which enable them to climb with ease. The skulls of Asiatic black bears are relatively small, but are thick, particularly in the lower jaw. Compared to other bears, moon bears have relatively flat faces (the projections of the skull are weakly developed). Although mostly herbivorous, the jaw structure of Asiatic black bears is not as specialised for plant eating as that of pandas.

Tracie Goodness wrote in Animal Diversity Web The head is large and the eyes are small. The ears are large and are set farther apart than on an American black bear. The body is heavy, the legs are thick and strong, and the paws are broad. The stance is plantigrade. The tail is short and is barely visible under a long, coarse coat. [Source:Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

The skull of Asiatic black bears is typical of the Suborder Caniformia, bearing a long rostrum (hard, beak-like structures projecting out from the head or mouth). However, the orbits are typically smaller than those of most caniforms. The width of the mastoid rarely exceeds the length of the palate. The auditory bullae are flat. The muzzle is long and narrow, and does not extend very far over the canines. The dental formula is usually 3/3, 1/1, 4/4, 2/3 = 42. However, the premolars can sometimes be lost as the bear ages. The postcarnassial teeth are enlarged, and occlusal surfaces are adapted to crushing. Normally, there is a diastema between the premolars. The upper carnassial of Asiatic black bears is triangular.

Asiatic Black Bear Subspecies

Ussuri black bear lives in southern Siberia, northeastern China and the Korean peninsula. It is the largest subspecies of Asiatic black bear.

Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger Pocock, 1932) lives in the Himalayas and is distinguished from Asiatic black bears by its longer, thicker fur and smaller, whiter chest mark. During the summer, these bears occur in warmer areas in Nepal, China, Siberia, and Tibet at elevations of 3,000 to 3,600 meters (9,800 to 11,800 feet). In the winter, they descend as low as 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). On average, they measure 1.4 to 1.6 meters (4 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 3 inches) from nose to tail and weigh from 90 to 120 kilograms (200 to 260 pounds), though they may weigh as much as 181 kilograms (399 pounds) in the fall when they are fattening up for hibernation. [Source: Wikipedia]

Ussuri black bear, the largest Asiatic black bear sunspecies

Tibetan black bear (Ursus thibetanus thibetanus Cuvier, 1823) lives in Assam (India), Nepal, Myanmar, the Mergui island in Myanmar, Thailand and central Vietnam. It is distinguished from the Himalayan black bear by its short, thin coat with little to no underwool.

Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus Schlegel, 1857) lives in Honshū and Shikoku in Japan and is now extinct on Kyushu. It is a relatively small subspecies, with males weighing 60 to 120 kilograms (130 to 260 pounds) and females weighing 40 to 100 kilograms (88 to 220 pounds). The average body length is 1.1 to 1.4 meters (3 feet 7 inches to 4 feet 7 inches). It lacks the thick neck fur of other subspecies, and has a darker snout.

Indochinese black bear (Ursus thibetanus mupinensis Heude, 1901) is found in Southeast Asia. It is light-colored and is similar to the Himalayan black bear.

Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus R. Swinhoe, 1864) is found in Taiwan and lacks the thick neck fur of other subspecies.

Balochistan black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus Blanford, 1877) lives in southern Balochistan in Pakistan and Iran and is a small subspecies with relatively short, coarse hair, often reddish-brown rather than black.

Asiatic Black Bear Behavior

Asiatic black bears are arboreal (can live in trees), scansorial (good at climbing), terricolous (live on the ground), nocturnal (active at night), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), migratory (make seasonal movements between regions, such as between breeding and wintering grounds), hibernate (the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal’s energy requirements), have daily torpor (a period of reduced activity, sometimes accompanied by a reduction in the metabolic rate, especially among animals with highmetabolic rates), and territorial (defend an area within the home range). [Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

The territory of Asiatic black bears can vary greatly, from around 6.4 to 36.5 square kilometers (2.5 to six and 14 square miles). But, with sufficient food, depending on the availability of food. The denser the available food supply is, the smaller the range. When food is plentiful Asiatic black bears can remain in an area of roughly one to two square kilometers, and sometimes even as little as a half to one square kilometer. Asiatic black bears may migrate and spend the warmer months of the year at higher altitudes and then descend to the lowlands during colder months.

Asiatic black bear range

Asiatic black bears tend to be solitary and are most active at dawn and dusk animals once they reach adulthood. They often feed at night and sleep during the daytime, but sometimes forage during the day. In autumn, their nocturnal activity increases. They often migrate to lower elevations this time of the year in order to obtain native broadleaved food species (mast crops). They love to make dens in tree hollows, old logs and caves and often sleep there during the day or up in a tree. In some places moon bears build “basking couches,” elevated, oval-shaped beds made of twigs and branches that are thought be constructed to get the bears off the ground when the weather is cold or rainy. Some of these have been seen 20 meters off the ground.

Relatively little is known about Asiatic black bears in the wild; much of what is known about their social behavior has been deduced by observing the bears in zoos and other-non natural habitats. Asiatic black bears may live in family groups consisting of two adults and two successive litters of young. They will walk in a procession of largest to smallest. They are powerful swimmers, and are plantigrade, and typically walk on four feet, but when they fight, they stand up on their two hind feet and slap their enemy with their forepaws. Asiatic black bears usually avoid man and only attack when they are wounded or trying to protect their young, but unprovoked attacks have been documented many times throughout history. /=\

Their short (2 inches, or 5.08 centimeters) claws make them adept climbers of rocks and trees, and will climb to feed, rest, sun, elude enemies and hibernate although some older bears may become too heavy to climb. Many Asiatic black bears spend half their lives or more in trees and they are one of the largest arboreal mammals. Some break branches and twigs to place under themselves when feeding on trees, thus causing many trees in their home ranges to have nest-like structures on their tops.

Asiatic Black Bear Hibernation

Some Asiatic black bears hibernate but not all do. Pregnant females always hibernate. In the southern part of their range most Asiatic black bears don’t hibernate. Some migrate to lower elevations to find food. On the northern side of their range hibernation is well established. Hollows in logs and trees are preferred denning sites. In Japan the bears almost always choose sites where deep snow covers the den. In Tokyo, the Ueno Zoo was able to artificially induce an Asiatic black bear to hibernate helping the animal create a den with a bed of straw and lowering the temperature in its pen to replicate the conditions in the mountains of northern Japan where the bear is from.

According to Animal Diversity Web:Asiatic black bears store fat during the late summer to use during the winter months of hibernation (the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal’s energy requirements). Some may sleep the entire winter period, while others may only hibernate for the worst periods of winter weather. Asiatic black bears behave as other bears during hibernation; they do not excrete urea or solid fecal material, instead converting the waste material to proteins. [Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

During periods of hibernation, the heartbeat drops from 40 to 70 beats per minute to eight to 12 beats per minute, and the metabolic rate decreases by 50 percent. The body temperature decreases by only three to seven degrees Centigrade. Due to the fact that the body temperature of Asiatic black bears, as well as many other bears, does not substantially drop and the bear can be easily awakened, some ecophysiologists do not consider the bear's period of inactivity to be true hibernation. Others argue that it is true hibernation due to the fact that the pulse rate drops by 50 percent.

Asiatic Black Senses and Communication

jaws and teeth of Asiatic black bear compared to those of a tiger

Asiatic black bears sense and communicate with vision, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling. They also leave scent marks produced by special glands and placed so others can smell and taste them. Although their senses are more acute than those of brown bears, their eyesight is poor, and their powers of hearing moderate, the upper limit being 30 kHz. [Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Bears use their acute sense of smell in order to communicate with other members of their species. They urinatine, defecate, and by rubbing against trees to leave their scent for other bears to detect. Bears often communicate visually with each other by the way in which they move or behave in the presence of other bears; for example, the behavior of a bear can convey either dominant or subordinate status to another. To indicate subordinate status, a bear moves away, or sits or lies down. To convey dominance, a bear walks or runs towards a rival. /=\

Asiatic black bears are highly intelligent and make a large variety of vocalisations, including grunts, whines, roars, slurping sounds (sometimes made when feeding) and "an appalling row" when wounded, alarmed or angry. They make clucking sounds during play and courting, "tut-tut-tut" sounds when cautiously approaching other bears and huffing sounds when warning or about to attack. They issue warnings or threats by hissing, and scream when fighting. The "tut tut" sounds are thought to be produced by bears snapping their tongue against the roof of their mouth. Females are more vocal than males.

Asiatic Black Bear Feeding

Asiatic black bears are classified as carnivores, although they follow an omnivorous diet. Their diet varies according to location and season, but predominantly consists of vegetables, fruits, nuts, acorns, honey, leaves, insects, small mammals, birds, beetle larvae, invertebrates, grubs, bees, eggs, garbage, mushrooms, grasses, seeds, herbs, cherries, dogwood, oak nuts, grain and carrion. Occasionally, Asiatic black bears may attack livestock or raid crops. There have been a number of reports of bears killing sheep, goats and cattle in Kashmir and Tibet. In Japan they sometimes damage timber trees by pealing back the bark to gnaw one sapwood underneath.

Asiatic black bears are more herbivorous than brown bears, and more carnivorous than American black bears. They are opportunistic feeders that gorge themselves on a variety of seasonal high calorie foods, storing the excess calories as fat, and then hibernate or reduce their activity during times of scarcity. Black bears will eat pine nuts and acorns of the previous year in the April to May period. In times of scarcity, they enter river valleys to gain access to hazelnuts and insect larvae in rotting logs. From mid-May through late June, they will supplement their diet with green vegetation and fruit. Through July to September, they will climb trees to eat bird cherries, pine cones, vines and grapes. On rare occasions they will eat dead fish during the spawning season, though this constitutes a much lesser portion of their diet than in brown bears. In the 1970s, black bears were reported to kill and eat Hanuman langurs in Nepal. They will kill ungulates with some regularity, including domestic livestock. Wild ungulate prey can include muntjacs, serow, takin, wild boar and adult water buffaloes, which they kill by breaking their necks.

Asiatic black bears have an acute sense of smell and can locate grubs and other insects up to one meters (three feet) below the ground. Most often they feed diurnally, with nocturnal feeding increasing when the bears increase their food intake in order to store body fat for hibernation. Asiatic black bears appear be adjust their circadian rhythm to obtain desired foods. When they raiding crops, for example, they are more likely to do so at night in order to avoid contact with humans. [Source: Animal Diversity Web (ADW)]

Asiatic Black Bear Mating and Reproduction

Asiatic black bears are polygynandrous (promiscuous), with both males and females having multiple partners. In the wild, they typically forage alone. However, pairs can be seen hunting and gathering together during breeding season usually from mid June to mid August with births in winter or early spring after a gestation period of 200 to 240 days. [Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asiatic black bear mother nursing her cubs

Most of what is known about Asiatic black bear reproduction has been deduced from captive bears in zoos. In captive environments, females enter periods of estrus and non-estrus at irregular intervals, and undergo mating for 12 to 35 days. For males above the age of six years, larger bears spend more days mating than smaller males. There is a social hierarchy related to the age and body weight of male bears and only larger males mate with the females. Those of small size (those weighing less than 80 kilograms) have reduced chances of mating. /=\

Females generally have their first litter at the age of three years. Pregnant females generally make up 14 percent of populations. Pregnant females typically prepare their dens for hibernation in mid October, and sleep from November until March. Their dens can either be dug out hollow trees (often 20 meters or more above ground), caves or holes in the ground, hollow logs, or steep, mountainous and sunny slopes. Reproductive patterns vary widely in the different populations. In Siberia, mating takes place in June or July, with the births occurring in February, typically. In Pakistan, mating occurs in October, and births occur in February.

Asiatic black bears can employ delayed implantation (a condition in which a fertilized egg reaches the uterus but delays its implantation in the uterine lining, sometimes for several months). Studies conducted on pregnant and nonpregnant bears show that concentrations of serum progesterone (P4) and prolactin (PRL) might be connected with the process of delayed implantation Lower concentrations of both P4 and PRL are found in nonpregnant bears. Increased concentrations of these cause the activation of the corpus luteum, which prepares the uterus for implantation. /=\

Asiatic Black Bear Cubs and Parenting

Cubs weigh 230 to 300 grams ounces at birth, and begin walking at four days of age, and open their eyes three days later. The skulls of newborn black bear cubs bear great resemblance to those of adult sun bears. Litters can consist of one to four cubs, with two being the average. Cubs have a slow growth rate, reaching only 2.5 kilograms after two months. Asiatic black bear cubs will nurse for two years or more and become independent at two to three years. There is usually a two to three year interval period before females produce subsequent litters.

Asiatic black bears are altricial. This means that young are born relatively underdeveloped and are unable to feed or care for themselves or move independently for a period of time after birth. Pre-weaning provisioning is provided by females. Males are not involved in the raising of cubs. Asiatic black bears have been seen with two litters of cubs, but in the wild they typically only have one litter of cubs at a time..[Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

The cubs of Asiatic black bears are not fully weaned until just over three months. The cubs live with their mother until they are two to three years old. Not much is known about the type of care that parents provide in the wild, due to the lack of studies of behavior outside of captive environments. Males and females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at three to four years.

Threatened Asiatic Black Bears and Humans

The Asiatic black bear is classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of endangered species. On the US Federal List they are classified as Endangered. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix I, which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. [Source: Tracie Goodness, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asiatic black bears are threatened by losses to their forest habitat and excessive hunting to gain bile and other body parts for the traditional Asian medicine they are the most valued bears for traditional medicine, partly because the species was so abundant in the areas where traditional medicine originated. Poaching for gall bladders and skin are the main threat faced by black bears in India. The main habitat threat to Chinese black bears is overcutting of forests, largely due to human populations encroachment, particularly in Shaanxi, Ganshu, and Sichuan provinces. They are also overhunted for black bear paws and gall bladders. Cubs have great economic value.

Vietnamese black bear populations have declined rapidly due to the pressures of human population growth and unstable settlement. South Korea remains one of two countries to allow bear bile farming to continue legally. As reported in 2009, approximately 1,374 bears reside in an estimated 74 bear farms where they are kept for slaughter to fuel the demands of traditional Asian medicine. Fewer than 20 bears can be found at Jirisan Restoration Center, located in Korea's Jirisan National Park.

In India mothers are sometimes shot and the cubs are captured and train to perform and dance by itinerant street performers and circuses. The Indian government has it has taken measures to crack down on this practice but says it doesn’t want to go too far and deprive people of their livelihood.

Although black bears have been afforded protection in Russia since 1983, illegal poaching, fuelled by a growing demand for bear parts in the Asian market, is still a major threat to the Russian population. Many workers of Chinese and Korean origin, supposedly employed in the timber industry, are actually involved in the illegal trade. Some Russian sailors reportedly purchase bear parts from local hunters to sell them to Japanese and Southeast Asian clients. Russia's rapidly growing timber industry has been a serious threat to the Asiatic black bear's home range for three decades. The cutting of trees containing cavities deprives black bears of their main source of dens, and forces them to den on the ground or in rocks, thus making them more vulnerable to tigers, brown bears and hunters.

Along with sun bears, Asiatic black bears are the most typically used species in areas where bears are either used in performances or as pets. Asiatic black bears have an outstanding learning ability in captivity, and are among the most common species used in circus acts. According to Gary Brown: The Asiatic black bears are the comedians of the performing bears. They appear to appreciate applause and will intentionally move into their prescribed position late to attain laughter and attention. Black bears are easily tamed, and can be fed with rice, maize, sweet potato, cassava, pumpkin, ripe fruit, animal fat and sweet foods. Keeping captive black bears is popular in China, especially due to the belief that milking the bear's gall bladder leads to quick prosperity. Bears are also popular as pets in Vietnam.

Asiatic Black Bear Attacks

There have been documented cases of unprovoked attacks by Asiatic black bears on humans, as well as cases of provoked attacks on humans when a bear felt endangered. Most attacks on humans take place in the late summer, around the time of the mating season. /=\

Though usually shy and cautious animals, Asiatic black bears are more aggressive toward humans than the brown bears of Eurasia and American black bears. David W. Macdonald theorises that this greater aggression is an adaptation to being sympatric with tigers. According to Brigadier General R.G. Burton: The Himalayan black bear is a savage animal, sometimes attacking without provocation, and inflicting horrible wounds, attacking generally the head and face with their claws, while using their teeth also on a prostrate victim. It is not uncommon to see men who have been terribly mutilated, some having the scalp torn from the head, and many sportsmen have been killed by these bears.

Dr. E. T. Vere of Srinagar, Kashmir wrote of how his hospital received dozens of black bear victims annually. He wrote that, when attacking humans, black bears will rear up on their hind legs and knock victims over with their paws. They then make one or two bites on an arm or leg, then finish with a snap to the head, this being the most dangerous part of the attack. There are no records of predation on humans by Asiatic black bears in Russia and no conflicts have been documented in Taiwan. However, in India, attacks on humans have been increasing yearly, and have occurred largely in the northwestern and western Himalayan region. In the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh, the number of black bear attacks on humans have gradually increased from 10 in 1988-89 to 21 in 1991-92. Recent bear attacks on humans have been reported from Junbesi and Langtang National Park in Nepal, and occurred in villages as well as in the surrounding forest. Li Guoxing, the second person in history to have received a facial transplant, was a victim of a black bear attack.

Bear attacks have been increasing in Kashmir since the Kashmir conflict. In November 2009, in the Kulgam district of Indian-administered Kashmir, a black bear attacked four insurgents after discovering them in its den, and killed two of them. The majority of attacks tend to occur when black bears are encountered suddenly, and in close quarters. Because of this, black bears are generally considered more dangerous than brown bears, which live in more open spaces and are thus less likely to be surprised by approaching humans. They are also likely to attack when protecting food.

In January 2007, the Hindustan Times reported: Wild bears entered populated areas in many parts of Kupwara, Baramullah, Anantnag and Pulwama in the past three months. As many as five persons including a minor child were killed and over 30 wounded in the attacks by them on residents. Last month, a black bear attacked a 70-year old person Abdul Gani Rather at Shariefabad village in Tral and injured him critical, who later died in the hospital. The residents chased the black bear and attacked hiom with lathis and stones. The irate mob later burnt the wild animal live. Four persons were arrested for killing the bear. Two months back, a bear snatched a child in Kupwara, whose body was recovered the next morning from a nearby field. A woman in Kondabal village, around 27 km from Srinagar, was also attacked by a wild bear, who succumbed to injuries at a hospital. [Source: Hindustan Times, January 12, 2007]

Wildlife officials say that there had been a substantial increase in wild animal population in Jammu and Kashmir as poaching and hunting has stopped in Kashmir with the rise of terrorism. They say that the human interference in the wild animal habitat has also increased and many forested areas have been denuded, which force the wild animals to stray into villages. They say that many areas, where wild animal usually inhabit are covered under snow and these animals come down to residential areas in search of food.

Nine people were killed by black bears in Japan between 1979-1989. In September 2009 it was reported that a black bear attacked a group of tourists, seriously injuring four, while they were waiting at a bus station in the built-up area of Takayama, Gifu in central Japan.

AFP reported: “A black Himalayan bear killed an 18-month-old boy in a zoo in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday, police said. The child, who was with his parents, tried to shake hands with the caged bear. But the animal pulled the boy into the cage and tore him apart, police said. Witnesses said the boy died in front of his screaming parents. An angry crowd tried to kill the bear but police intervened to bring the situation under control. A zoo official blamed the parents for allowing the boy to touch the animal.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025