First photographic record of Himalayan brown bear from Kanawar wildlife sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India

The Himalayan brown bear (HBB) population is restricted to a few geographical areas of India, Pakistan, and Nepal. In India, the HBB was distributed in the fragmented pockets of Jammu-Kashmir, and Ladakh UT, followed by Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. HBB is a high conservation priority species in India and is listed as Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972). However, in the recent past, the extant population of HBB has been under tremendous threats such as accelerated habitat fragmentation, human encroachment, and climate change. The present study was conducted in the Kanawar wildlife sanctuary (KWS), situated in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, using camera trapping and trail sampling. The study reports the first photographic evidence of HBB from the Kanawar wildlife sanctuary (KWS). Further, we recommend a long-term assessment and population estimation of HBB in and around KWS to conserve the species.