In a significant wildlife breakthrough for Himachal Pradesh, forest officials in Chamba have captured the elusive Himalayan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) on camera for the first time inside the Gamgul Siyabehi Wildlife Sanctuary, marking the first photographic and video evidence of the species in the protected area.
The rare footage of a female brown bear and its cub was recorded during the Forest Department’s annual wildlife surveys conducted this month in the sanctuary’s remote high-altitude forests. The breakthrough came after months of monitoring through trail cameras installed across the rugged terrain.
Chamba Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Kuldeep Singh Jamwal said a suspected male brown bear was first captured on a trail camera on July 28 last year, but the image was inconclusive. Nearly 10 months later, another trail camera captured a clearer image of a male brown bear on May 13 this year.
Encouraged by the evidence, officials intensified monitoring and succeeded in filming the female bear and cub on May 20.
“The footage is the first photographic and video evidence of the Himalayan Brown Bear in the sanctuary, corroborating sightings and reports shared by local residents and shepherds over the years,” Jamwal said.
The Himalayan Brown Bear had remained undocumented in Gamgul despite repeated reports and field evidence cited by villagers and shepherds.
Jamwal said the sighting highlighted the ecological richness of the sanctuary and suggested that the area could serve as an important habitat for the species. He added that the presence of the brown bear, a top carnivore, indicated healthy herbivore populations within the sanctuary.
The Himalayan Brown Bear is among the rarest and most threatened species in the Indian Himalayas. Found in isolated high-altitude regions of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand, the species is known for its shy nature and preference for remote mountain habitats.
In Himachal Pradesh, Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary in Bharmour and Tundah Wildlife Sanctuary in Pangi, both in Chamba district, are considered important habitats for the species. The Himalayan Brown Bear is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, with habitat degradation, climate change and shrinking alpine ecosystems posing major threats to its survival.
Located in the Pir Panjal Himalayan range in Chamba district’s Salooni subdivision, the 108.40-sq-km Gamgul Siyabehi Wildlife Sanctuary lies at an elevation ranging from 1,800 to 3,900 metres and shares boundaries with the Kathua and Doda regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, Gamgul derives its name from Hangul, or the Kashmir stag, which once inhabited the sanctuary and was a favoured game species of the erstwhile Chamba royals. However, no recent record of Hangul exists in the area.
Jamwal said the department now plans to conduct detailed studies in collaboration with the Zoological Survey of India. Drone-based monitoring will also be used to track the movement of the female bear and cub.
