Does Not Know The Border
Named Sharda and Narda, the bear cubs were nursed by the villagers. Now they playfully keep busy climbing mulberry and walnut trees on the compound where they are kept, or sometimes onto a tin-roof shelter that houses a hatchery for rainbow trout, drawing a daily audience of both children and adults.
More than half century conflict between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir had an unlikely fall out. Two orphaned black bear cubs found in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The two were not even able to open their eyes and wander aimlessly without their mother who might have been killed in a landmine, electric fence, shell or otherwise on either side of the fenced frontier.
Named Sharda and Narda, the bear cubs were nursed by the villagers. Now they playfully keep busy climbing mulberry and walnut trees on the compound where they are kept, or sometimes onto a tin-roof shelter that houses a hatchery for rainbow trout, drawing a daily audience of both children and adults.
Since 2004 there has been a 12-foot-high fence cutting through the area to mark the border meant to keep militants from crossing. But it has also made it nearly impossible for wildlife of the area to move freely in their natural habitat. Many of the animals are killed in the crossfire or landmines on both sides. Apart from their survival the Himalayan black bear which is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan is also known as “mali” (gardener) of the Himalayas!
Omnivore in nature it eats mostly acorn diet before and after hibernation, it also consumes fruits, berries, and other plant species found in the jungle. However, it excretes about 85% of the food material consumed, scattering undigested seeds all over the forest floor. These seeds semi-scathed and enveloped in organic matter germinate wherever the black bear passes out its faeces thus, forming new life all over the area. Without any human interference, the black bear gathers up new Himalayas.
Apart from this, when the bear searches for food, finding that lower branches have been depleted of food resources, it forages for fruits and berries up towards the top of trees. As such, it breaks off branches that are too fragile to hold its weight. Though it may seem the bear is destroying the forest, factually it is quite the opposite. Because in doing so, the bear creates a pathway for penetration of sunlight towards the lower growth, such as herbs, shrubs, or smaller vegetation that form a very important part of the whole forest ecosystem. The secondary growth that flourishes, as a result, supports many flora and fauna. The Himalayan black bear also acts as a scavenger, eating diseased animals so that continuity is maintained. One of the reasons the black bear does this is because of its strong immune system. It also searches under fallen, partially decomposed logs for grubs, insects, and another biota. When the log is overturned, the side yet to decompose faces the ground for being acted upon by decomposers, thus enriching forest soil with nutrients.Thoroughly misunderstood, it nevertheless continues to protect the forest, cleans it up, and preserves the natural balance. This is what a black bear’s life is all about.The Himalayan black bear is a unique species,protecting and preserving t h e ecosystem as it has been designed to do. This 250 kg mass of fur and a bit of terror is a friend to the forests, which eventually support mankind.
