• The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also called Himalayan bear, Tibetan bear, or moon bear, is found in parts from southern Iran to the Himalayas, South-East Asia, and parts of eastern Asia, including Japan.
• It has a glossy black (sometimes brownish) coat with a whitish mark shaped like a crescent moon on its chest.
• It is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and is threatened by deforestation and poaching.
• Each female bear usually gives birth to two cubs after seven to eight months. The young ones remain with their mother for about three years.

• Bear cubs are in danger in Arunachal Pradesh because the parent bears are hunted for meat and the young ones are either sold or kept at home as pets.
• WTI’s Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) operates in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. It is the first facility of its kind that specializes in the rehabilitation of cubs as young as one week, to be sent back to the wild.
• It has rescued more than 70 bear cubs since 2004 and successfully rehabilitated more than 90 per cent of the cubs, in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DoEFCC) , Arunachal Pradesh, IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and KEPL (Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited).

All information on this page has been sourced from the Wildlife Trust of India, India’s most trusted wildlife conservation charity organisation, dedicated to preserve and protect the natural world and its wild habitats. The WTI team has been fully committed to India’s wildlife for the last 20+ years. You can support their cause and the various projects they undertake (like this project) or consider a donation by clicking the banner above!