Saving the northern Brown Bear

An endangered species of bear, specific to Pakistan's northern areas, could face extinction of its already small population in a specially designated national park, according to the head of an NGO that has pioneered efforts to protect it. The population of the Himalayan Brown Bear still only totals a mere 30 animals, up from the 19 reported in 1993 when two wildlife enthusiasts first discovered the huge disparity between official wildlife department figures - that said 625 bears were present - and the reality. Today, careful managment of the beleagured bear population could translate into tourist income for the impoverished people who live close to the animals' shrinking habitat. "The population is stagnant right now. It has not increased, nor has it decreased. We're flattening out and that's a serious issue," Vaqar Zakaria, who heads the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF), told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The HWF was set up in 1993 after Zakaria and fellow conservationist Anis-ur-Rehman, accidently stumbled upon the fact that the population of the Himalayan Brown Bear was diminishing in the plains of the Deosai, a plateau spread over 3,000 sq km at an altitude of over 13,000 feet above sea level. Deosai is 300km northeast of Islamabad. After conducting the first ever scientific survey of the bears, funded by a grant from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), which revealed that there were only 19 bears left on the Deosai, the HWF focused on unique methods to preserve the species. This included educating and involving local communities in preservation techniques and "radio-collaring" the bears. Signals from special, radio-fitted collars would be received by satellites and transmitted to experts who used the information to pinpoint bear locations. Other conservation techniques allowed the animals' social and genetic make-up to be studied. The area was also declared a national park in late 1993 after a relentless campaign by the NGO. "There's a fear of inbreeding and a collapse of the population. We had tissue samples taken, we had the DNA analysed. The good news, that came in three months ago, was that genetic diversity is still there because this population collapsed from a larger population," Zakaria explained. "However, if we maintain it at this low level for the next say, 5 or 10 years, it'll probably by inbreeding. But, if we can cross the magic number of 50, then, the genetic issues hopefully could be handled," he maintained. According to Zakaria, a population increase of about 5 percent annually would be good news for the beleaguered animal. "That means: in about 7 to 8 years, we could cross the magic number of 50. But, only, if we can get our government to do something and act on it. I'm trying very hard to get the government to come and take control of the facility. We'll be there to help in everything, but we find it very difficult as an NGO, and as volunteers, as a small organisation, to deliver the protection in the whole park to everybody," he said. Also, the HWF was likely to run out of funds by this summer, Zakaria said. "Our funds are going to run out by June this year. NORAD [the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation] is the cash donor," he maintained.