简体中文 ZH-CN English EN Français FR Deutsch DE Italiano IT Português PT සිංහල SI தமிழ் TA
Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation

World Bear Day – 23rdMarch

Content Image

World Bear Day – 23rdMarch

Every year on 23 March, there is a special day to celebrate the mammal Bear, World Bear Day, the day is to highlight the importance existence of Bear around the world.

Bear, (family Ursidae), any of eight species of large short-tailed carnivores, found in sixty countries primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and are concentrated in Asia, North America, and Europe. The Sun Bear is the smallest, often weighing less than 50 kg. The largest bear is either the Kodiak Bear (a subspecies of Alaskan brown bear) or the polar bear, depending upon which measurements are considered; either of these bears can weigh up to 720 kg.

While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets.

Bears have an amazing sense of smell. Many factors can affect their smell, including weather, type of smell, and style of bear.

Bears have an important role in many ecosystems. Through their foraging habits, bears spread plant and berry seeds in their droppings and spread marine-derived nitrogen into the forest surrounding salmon streams. Bears are important links in food webs and help maintain populations of deer and other prey species through predation.Black bears, in particular, eat a lot of fruit and vegetation so they are amongst the main seed dispersion agents.The forest would be littered with carcasses if not for bears. Even though bears are not scavengers, they help by eating these carcasses. According to IUCN, one bear species is critically endangered; Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Five species are vulnerable;  Andean Bear(Tremarctos ornatus), Asiatic Black Bears(Ursus thibetanus) , Polar Bears(Ursus maritimus),Sloth Bears(Melursus ursinus)and  Sun Bear(Helarctos malayanus). Two species are least concern; North American Bear(Ursus americanus) and Brown Bear(Ursus arctos).

Bear is being hunt since prehistoric times for their meat and fur. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market.

– Source: Internet –