Promoting Coexistence Between People and Sloth Bears in Gujarat, India Through a Community Outreach Programme AatmavatSarvabhuteshu

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International
Bear News
Tri-Annual Newsletter of the International Association
for Bear Research and Management (IBA)
and the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group
Andean bears in a patch of upper montane forest east of Quito, Ecuador. See article on page 17.
Photo credit: Carnivore Lab-USFQ/ Fundación Condor Andino/Fundación Jocotoco
Spring 2021 Vol. 30 no. 1

Spring 2021 Vol. 30 no. 1 25
Human-Bear Conicts
Promoting Coexistence Between
People and Sloth Bears in
Gujarat, India Through a
Community Outreach Programme
AatmavatSarvabhuteshu
The noisily grunting, shaggy and reclusive sloth bear
(Melursus ursinus) is native to the Indian subcontinent,
subsisting in many habitat types, including wet and
dry tropical forests, savannah, scrubland and grassland,
generally below 1500 m elevation (Dharaiya et al. 2020).
It is the only bear species found in the state of Gujarat,
which marks the westernmost edge of its range. It is
patchily distributed in the eastern part of the state in both
protected and unprotected forests. Sloth bear habitat in
Gujarat is undergoing degradation and fragmentation due
to a high and increasing level of anthropogenic pressure
from the burgeoning human population. Additionally,
overgrazing, tree-felling, re, change in land use, and over-
extraction of resources all threaten the remaining sloth
bear habitat. Dry forests in Gujarat and throughout the
sloth bear range appear to be particularly susceptible to
degradation (Yoganand et al. 1999).
The degraded habitat in the form of reduced forest
cover and food resources, especially outside protected
areas (Akhtar et al. 2004), has prompted sloth bears to
venture into villages, agricultural lands, and other human-
dominated areas in search of food and water. This brings
bears into close proximity to humans and increases the
chances of bear attacks (Singh et al 2018). Increased
sloth bear attacks on humans in Gujarat has increased
hostility towards bears, making bear conservation more
difcult (Garcia et al. 2016).There is a need to develop
a holistic understanding of the cause of such conicts,
which can help to formulate conict mitigation strategies
(Messmer 2000). Research from various parts of the sloth
bear’s range has revealed that many, if not most of the
attacks are avoidable if the local people follow sloth bear
safety etiquette.
We initiated the project AatmavatSarvabhuteshu in Gujarat
as a joint venture between Vadodara Wildlife Division of
Gujarat forest department and Wildlife and Conservation
Biology (WCB) Research Lab of Hemchandracharya North
Children of 5th grade watching lm Sloth bear: The bear of Indian subcontinent documentary during outreach program in school.
Photo credit: Sachin Daraji

26 International Bear News • bearbiology.org
HUMAN-BEAR CONFLICTS
Gujarat University, Patan. AatmavatSarvabhuteshu is a
Sanskrit phrase meaning “one should feel the happiness
and distress of others as his own”. The project is an
attempt to increase community understanding of sloth
bears to improve opportunities for coexistence. We started
this project by interviewing locals and interacting with
forest staff in the hope of understanding their perceptions
about the sloth bear. As an outcome of these interviews,
we developed a model of cross-sector collaboration
among the university, local community, and the forest
department to promote sloth bear conservation.
Our main aim is to connect our ideas and practices with
the local community, and to create and spread science-
based, culturally sensitive education to school children and
adults through outreach programs meant to sensitize tribal
people to the plight of the sloth bear. The hope is that
this message will instill more positivity and ideas of how
to live with sloth bears. Working with local communities
to build relationships and partnerships in conservation
through community involvement is also an opportunity
for researchers to support community issues. This can be
achieved by providing accurate scientic information about
the species and involving the locals in the conservation-
oriented work. In an effort to accomplish our aim, we
published a pocket booklet Living in the Sloth Bear
Landscape in Gujarati and English languages, and we
distributed these among villagers.
As a part of our outreach programme we also developed
a sloth bear conservation outreach center at Ratanmahal
Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the rst of its kind in India.
At this center, we developed state-of-the-art education
materials about the ecology and behavior of sloth bears
that can be understood by local villagers and outside
visitors alike. We created a short documentary lm Sloth
bear: The bear of Indian subcontinent to show in the center
(as well as in schools and other social gatherings). The
lm is also available on YouTube in three languages (Hindi,
Gujarati, and English) for wider circulation. Additionally,
we are planning to develop a fun learning activity booklet
for children in order to engage them in understanding and
appreciating the sloth bear.
We also visited schools and colleges to meet the youth
and build capacity so they can help continue this program
into the future. Along with community awareness, we
also help the forest department and organize eld staff
training to enhance their capacity in monitoring sloth
bear populations. We are also developing a sloth bear
monitoring manual as a eld guide for the forest staff.
The central Gujarat landscape has been identied as
containing important sloth bear corridors (Dharaiya and
Singh 2018), but the bears live here in close proximity
with people. We are optimistic that this project will
help sloth bear conservation in the state by enhancing
community tolerance and reducing their retribution against
bears. Later, our plan is for this work to be continued by
motivated and skilled tribal youth.
We are grateful to Gujarat State Forest Department and
Sloth bear TAG of European Association for Zoos and
Aquaria for supporting this project. Dr. Zsuzsa Petro of
Nyiregyhazi Allatpark, Hungary, and her team helped us
in developing the illustrations for the sloth bear book, and
Marcel Alaze from Allwetter Zoo, Germany, encouraged
us and supported the project in its initial stage. We are
still fundraising to continue this project for the year 2021
and we would sincerely appreciate nancial and technical
support from bear lovers and conservationists. Please
contact us to donate or for more details.
Pratik Desai interacting with local women and children to
understand their activity and timing when venturing in the
forest area, and explaining behaviours, myths, and facts about
sloth bears. Photo credit: Mesaria Shalu
A replica of mother sloth bear carrying cubs after coming out of
her den, displayed at the outreach center that we developed for
local community and visitors at Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary,
Central Gujarat. Photo credit: Shruti Patel

Spring 2021 Vol. 30 no. 1 27
HUMAN-BEAR CONFLICTS
Literature Cited
Akhtar, N., H. Bargali, and N.P.S. Chauhan. 2004. Sloth bear habitat use
in disturbed and unprotected areas of Madhya Pradesh, India. Ursus
15:203-211.
Dharaiya N., and C. P. Singh. 2018. Habitat suitability and corridor
habitat suitability and corridor analysis for sloth bear in Gujarat using
remote sensing and ecological modeling. Final Technical Report. Space
Application Centre. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Dharaiya, N., H.S. Bargali, and T. Sharp.2020.Melursus
ursinus(amended version of 2016 assessment).The IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species2020:e.T13143A166519315.https://dx.doi.
org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T13143A166519315.en
Garcia, K. C., H. M. Joshi, and N. Dharaiya. 2016. Assessment of human-
sloth bear conicts in North Gujarat, India. Ursus 27:5–10. https://doi.
org/10.2192/URSUS-D-15-00012.1
Messmer, T. A. 2000. Emergence of human-wildlife conict management:
turning challenges into opportunities. International Biodeterioration
45:97–100.
Singh, N., S. Swapnil, and N. Dharaiya. 2018. Sloth bear attacks on
humans in central India: implications for species conservation. Human-
Wildlife Interactions 12(3):338–347
Yoganand, K., A.J.T. Johnsingh, and C. G. Rice. 1999. Annual technical
report (October 1998 to September 1999) of the project “Evaluating
Panna National Park with special reference to the ecology of sloth bear”.
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. Unpublished report.
Mesaria Shalu
Senior Project Fellow
Wildlife and Conservation Biology Research Lab
Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University
Patan (Gujarat) India 384 265
Gadhavi Dhaval
Deputy Conservator of Forests
Chhota-Udepur Forest Division,
Gujarat Forest Department
Dharaiya Nishith
Co-chair, Sloth Bear Expert Team,
IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group
Wildlife and Conservation Biology Research Lab,
Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University,
Patan (Gujarat) India 384265
nadharaiya@gmail.com
Flowchart illustrating how community awareness and outreach can help sloth bear conservation.