Asiatic black bear or Moon bear

 

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Classification:

Global Population

Description and Natural History

Physical Description
Moon bears -- or Asiatic black bears -- are medium sized, stocky bears averaging 140 - 165 centimeters (4.5 - 5.4 feet) tall and weighing 90 - 115 kilograms (198 - 254 pounds). Large males may weigh up to 181 kilograms (400 pounds). Males are larger than females.

Moon bears are usually black, although some are brown to reddish-brown. All have a white crescent, or moon-shaped marking, on their chest and some white on the chin. The hair on their neck and shoulders is long and thick, and their big ears are set far apart on a large, roundish head. Their claws are short and strong enough for climbing.

Natural History
Adult moon bears are typically solitary and nocturnal. They inhabit tropical rainforests, temperate broadleaf forests, and tropical monsoon and dry forests. Different subspecies are recognized in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the region of Taiwan China.

Moon bears are omnivorous, feeding on both plants and animals. Their diet varies with availability and location and includes buds, fruits and nuts, berries, small animals and birds, carrion, insects and honey. They may also take livestock or feed on crops if in the vicinity.

Little is known about their reproduction. They are thought to mate from April to June, but may mate as early as March or as late as December depending on climate. The gestation period may include delayed implantation of the embryo (the embryo floats freely in the womb before it implants in the wall of the uterus). Two cubs are usually born in a cave or hollow tree in May. Within about a week, the cubs’ eyes open and they begin to forage with their mother. Cubs are weaned at about 3.5 months but may stay with their mother for up to two years.

Moon bears are good climbers and swimmers. Although they usually walk on all fours, they will stand on their hind legs to reach food or to fight. Moon bears may be found sleeping or resting in tree "nests" built while feeding. Bears in the northern part of their range hibernate each year from November to March or April in a den, cave, hollow log or tree cavity. Moon bears may live about 25 years in the wild.

No reliable population estimates exist. There are few conservation efforts on their behalf and the legal protection that exists in different regions is rarely enforced.

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Status of the Species

Status
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists Ursus thibetanus as Vulnerable. The subspecies, Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus, (Iran and Pakistan) is listed as Critically Endangered.

Ursus thibetanus is also listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which bans international trade.

Threats to the Species
Moon bears are threatened by hunting and collecting (their gall bladders are used in traditional medicines and their paws are used for food), population fragmentation, deforestation and habitat loss, human settlement, infrastructure (roads, dams, etc.), conflicts with humans, and lack of conservation efforts.

In several Asian countries, notably China, moon bears are "farmed" for their bile. On these farms, moon bears are kept in small cages where their bile is "milked" for use in traditional medicines.

IFAW is working to eliminate bear bile farming, to provide humane treatment for bears currently imprisoned on “farms,” and to promote research into alternatives to bear bile in traditional medicines.

International Trade
Bear bile from farmed bears is the most commonly used commodity. It is sold legally in China for use in traditional medicines and in teas, tonics, shampoos and other formulations. The illegal trade in moon bear parts and derivatives such as meat, brain, blood, bone and paws also continues, both within China and internationally.

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Authors and Sources

Sources
BBC Wildlife. Wild facts—Tibetan black bear.

CITES. 2001. http://www.cites.org.

IUCN. 2001. The 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  http://www.redlist.org.

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