CHNADIGARH: The dietary habits of Himalayan brown bears in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Valley are shifting towards high-calorie crops such as apricots, apples, iceberg lettuce and peas, a change that researchers warn could intensify human–bear conflict in the region.
A study titled “Anthropogenic foods drive seasonal dietary shifts of Himalayan brown bear”, published in the journal Mammalian Biology, finds that the bears are increasingly relying on cultivated crops and other human-provided food sources, especially in the pre-hibernation period when natural forage is scarce. The research was conducted by eight scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (Kolkata) and the Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun).
The findings are based on an analysis of 253 bear scats collected between 2018 and 2022, including 154 from the post-hibernation period and 99 from the pre-hibernation phase. While wild vegetation remained a major component of the diet, the study notes a growing dependence on cultivated crops for energy needs.
It found that Himalayan brown bears are now “preferentially fed on Iceberg lettuce, peas, apricots, and apple, while avoiding crops such as potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower.” It further notes that in Lahaul Valley, apples, apricots and other horticultural crops account for around 68% of estimated dietary energy intake before hibernation, while vegetables contribute about 66% after hibernation.
The study highlights that during the cold-arid pre-hibernation period, natural food resources are limited, pushing bears towards anthropogenic food sources. “High dependence on anthropogenic food resources has adverse ecological and management implications… it also increases the risk of human-brown bear conflict,” the paper states.
Researchers warn that such foods may act as “ecological traps,” drawing bears closer to human settlements where the likelihood of conflict-related mortality is higher. The study also notes that reliance on human-linked food sources can alter bear behaviour, including movement patterns, hibernation timing, and denning duration.
“In many parts of Europe, supplemental feeding is the primary source of anthropogenic food in bears diet. But in this landscape Himalayan brown bears exploit anthropogenic foods through crop raiding, thereby intensifying human brown bear conflict,” the study says.
It further adds that while anthropogenic foods provide high caloric benefits, they may lack nutritional balance, potentially affecting long-term survival and ecological health of the species.
The study also underlines the socio-economic vulnerability of local communities in Lahaul Valley, where agriculture includes crops such as apples, apricots, peas, carrots, potatoes, broccoli and cabbage. With no designated protected areas in the valley, increasing bear movement into farmland has led to rising economic losses and conflict.
To address this, the study recommends a mix of mitigation strategies, including altering cropping patterns by growing bear-preferred crops closer to settlements and less-preferred crops near forest edges, forming community watch groups to reduce reliance on individual guarding, and installing watch towers with deterrent lights and sound systems along bear movement routes.
It also suggests electric fencing around vulnerable fields, better village-level waste management to reduce attractants, and crop compensation schemes similar to livestock depredation relief to improve community acceptance of conservation efforts.
The study concludes that declining natural food availability could push Himalayan brown bears further into human-dominated landscapes, increasing dependency on anthropogenic food sources and raising the risk of conflict unless integrated conservation measures are implemented.
