Work

Confirmation of the Tibetan Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) in Central Nepal Based on Genetic and Camera‐Trap Evidence

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) persists in small, fragmented populations across the Himalayan region; however, its subspecific identity and distribution in Nepal have long remained uncertain due to the absence of genetic evidence. Here, we integrated non‐invasive genetic analyses with systematic camera‐trap surveys to resolve the taxonomic status of brown bears in Nepal's trans‐Himalayan landscapes, and document their physical occurrence there. We collected fecal and hair samples from Dolpa District and the Upper Mustang region between 2022 and 2024, and conducted camera‐trapping in both Upper Mustang (Annapurna Conservation Area) and Dolpa Districts as part of broader mammal and snow leopard surveys. We used microsatellite genotyping to identify unique individuals and avoid duplicate sampling; however, subspecies‐level assignment relied primarily on the use of Mitochondrial DNA (i.e., a control‐region). We determined subspecific identity based on sequence similarity and phylogenetic clustering with reference haplotypes of Tibetan ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) and Himalayan ( U. a. isabellinus ) brown bears. We found that our phylogenetic analyses consistently placed all samples from Nepal inside the Tibetan brown bear lineage, forming a well‐supported clade with reference sequences from the Tibetan Plateau, and providing the first genetic confirmation of U. a. pruinosus in Nepal. Our camera traps recorded five independent capture events at three different stations between 3834 and 4816 m a.s.l ., and documented bear activity three different habitats: alpine steppe, shrubland, and grasslands. A verified photographic record we obtained from the Manaslu Conservation Area further supports the occurrence of Tibetan brown bears beyond their primary genetic sampling sites. These findings establish the first molecular baseline for brown bears occurring in Nepal, and highlight the conservation significance of its trans‐Himalayan landscapes as peripheral habitats for a globally rare, and nationally Critically Endangered, brown bear subspecies.

Source: Ecology and Evolution

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.74400