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Melursus ursinus | Red List of Bangladesh Volume 2: Mammals

NRL Record ID
327610
Location
Countries in Assessment
Bangladesh
Country ISO code(s)
BGD
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
RRL Synonyms
Bradypus ursinus Shaw, 1791; Ursus labiatus (de Blainv, 1817); U. inornatus (Pucheran, 1855)
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
Two subspecies are recognized: the Indian Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus ursinus (Shaw, 1791) and the Sri Lankan Sloth Bear M. u. inornatus (Pucheran, 1855) (Servheen et al. 1999).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka (Menon 2003, Prater 1971). According to Blanford (1988), it was a common species in Bengal during 1850s but faced a great decline at his time (1880s) mainly due to sport hunting. The Sloth Bear had the widest distribution among all the three bear species found in Bangladesh. The species has historically been rare within the country in the southeast, east, and northeastern areas (Sarkar 2006 in Islam et al. 2013). Occasional presence of Sloth Bears has been recorded from Madhupur Tract, Garo Hills and in Sherpur District, which are located in the central and north-central regions of the country respectively (Islam et al. 2013). They were also present in Rangpur-Dinajpur area in northwestern part of the country some 50 years back (during 1960s) and were also surviving in a small population in Sylhet, Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts with sightings in Teknaf and Kassalong Reserve Forest. It, however, disappeared from Dhaka, Tangail and Mymensingh forest divisions by then (Khan 1985). There is no reliable information on the presence of this species in Bangladesh, either in the wild or in captivity. Garshelis et al. (2008), Ahmed et al. (2009) and Islam et al. (2013) also concluded that the Sloth Bear might have possibly become extinct in Bangladesh.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Sloth Bears are mainly solitary except for mothers with their cubs. They are non-territorial and feed largely on fruits and insects supplemented by carrion. The species typically breeds during June - July, and females give birth, usually to one or two cubs, during November - January, although it may run year-round in some areas of its range. Though they are not aggressive by nature, female sloth bears can be very dangerous for protecting their cubs. They are primarily a low land species living in wet or dry tropical forests, savannas, scrublands, and grasslands within its range.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Not_assigned
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Regionally Extinct
Assessment status abreviation
RE
Assessment rationale/justification
There is no sighting record of it in last fifty years from Bangladesh. Survey by Islam et al. (2012) revealed no sign of Sloth Bear either in wild or in captivity. Choudhury (2011) did not find any individual in Dampa Tiger Reserve in the Indian state of Mizoram, which might be the only known possible habitat for this species along Bangladesh border. So, this species can be safely considered Extinct in Bangladesh.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2015
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Shayer Mahmood Ibney Alam
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
NGO
Academic
Assessor affiliation specific
Academic|NGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN (2012) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. Second edition. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iv + 32pp; IUCN (2012) Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
No
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: No
Conservation
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
Critically Endangered in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh 2000).