A recent study found that sloth bears in Chhota Udepur district are now ingesting plastic food packets, as their scat was found to contain plastic residue.
The researchers collected sloth bear scat samples from Kevdi in Navsari district, Dholisimel in Chhota Udepur and Ambakhunt village in Panchmahal. Analysis of the scat showed sloth bear diets consist of Indian plum (ber), golden shower flowers, ants and beetles, but samples also had plastic residue.
The research paper 'Food from the Neighbors: Sloth Bear Savoring Debris Left by Tourists and Locals in Eco-Sensitive Zone of Chhota Udepur, Gujarat' by Shalu Mesaria, Shruti Patel, Pratik Desai and Nishith Dharaiya of Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University and Patan-based WCB Research Foundation was published in the journal Proceedings of the Zoological Society.
The Gujarat forest department recently counted 358 sloth bears in Gujarat, with 54 in Chhota Udepur and 12 in Panchmahal districts. "Their diet usually consists of six types of insects and 17 sugar-rich fruits, flowers, grasses and honey," said a senior forest department official.
"Tribals in the area a drink a liquor made from flowers of the Mahua tree sold in plastic bags. They throw away the bag after consuming it. Sloth bears could have swallowed the discarded plastic bags unintentionally," the paper states.
‘Risk of bears getting addicted to packaged food’
Tribals in the area are known to drink a liquor made from the flowers of the Mahua tree, which is sold in plastic bags. After drinking the Mahua wine, the plastic bag is thrown away.
Sloth bears roam forest edges and along roads looking for food and water and the aroma of Mahua from the bags attracts them, Sloth bears may have swallowed such plastic bags unintentionally,” the paper states. B Suchindra conservator of the Jessore sloth bear sanctuary says, “We have banned plastic in the sanctuary and in nearby areas.
We have also begun an annual drive within and around forest limits to clear plastic waste.” The paper noted that Kevdi is a popular eco-tourist site where polystyrene plates are widely used by tourists. The scat analysis showed presence of polystyrene, indicating these had been ingested by the bears. Wildlife experts said plastic can choke the digestive tract and lead to death of sloth bears.
“Sloth bears now tend to move towards urban areas to eat packaged food, leading to a change in their diet. This may lead to more encounters with humans. Sloth bears have been observed feeding on garbage and roaming about near temples in search of food,” the paper states.
The paper says sloth bears eating other than its regular food is likely due to local residents leaving trash in forests or luring animals with processed food. “This can lead to addiction and may result in negative interactions between humans and bears,” the researchers say. “There is an immediate need to regulate the use of plastics and adopt suitable waste disposal methods at ecotourism sites,” the paper says.
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