Bear Necessities - Reimagining Baloo of Central India

A sow takes her stance as her sub-adult cubs scamper behind her for protection in Pench Tiger Reserve

"What I portray here is a picture of a sloth bear that is not different than Baloo – a wild Baloo – the last to be free to come and go as he pleases; who relishes nuts and roots and honey; whose necessities are indeed bare; who does not wish to cross paths with humans. Who – and I say this picturing a dark cloud looming over his brooding face – wishes humans would be a little more considerate with his jungle. Equipped with the right intentions and actions — both social and ecological – an era of coexistence is comprehensible."

--

I studied the parameters of human-sloth bear interactions in the Kanha-Pench corridor between 2016 and 2017, here are some publications of that study:

Cover story in Sanctuary Asia's 2018 issue: http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/magazines/cover-story/10766-bear-necessities-reimagining-baloo-of-central-india

Full-length scientific paper discussing trends in human-sloth bear interactions in the Kanha-Pench corridor: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0176612

Detailed project report on the dynamics of human-sloth bear interactions in the Kanha-Pench corridor: http://www.corbettfoundation.org/admin/images/HSBC_Project_Report.pdf

We also published a pictorial handbook depicting ways of avoiding conflict, geared towards local communities. The English version can be found here: http://www.conservingcentralindia.org/uploads/1/8/1/8/18187127/sloth_bear_booklet_singlepageformat.pdf - and the Hindi version here: https://defriesbajpaifoundation.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/sloth-bear_hindi_low-res.pdf