IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Pic of Rare Tibetan Brown Bear Sighted in Sikkim

IFS officer Parveen Kaswan shared a photo of a rare Tibetan brown bear spotted in North Sikkim. The officer stated in a post on X on January 15 that the uncommon species was documented with the help of the Sikkim Forest Department and the World Wildlife Fund.

Mr. Kaswan enthusiastically revealed the discovery of yet another sub-species to India’s rich biodiversity. Reflecting on the country’s huge unknown treasures, he stated that there is still much more awaiting research and discovery.

“You are seeing first ever picture of a rare Tibetan brown bear from #India. With this one more sub-species added to the Indian #biodiversity. This rare animal is documented in higher reaches of Sikkim with the joint effort of #Sikkim FD and WWF. So much India yet to be explored,” reads the caption of his post.

Camera traps were set up in the high altitudes of the Mangan district to document pictures of this rare animal. This was conducted by the forest and wildlife department team with assistance from Lachen Dzumsa, a traditional socio-political institution of North Sikkim.

See the officer’s post here –

You are seeing first ever picture of rare Tibetan Brown Bear from #India. With this one more sub-species added to the Indian #biodiversity. This rare animal is documented in higher reaches of Sikkim with the joint effort of #Sikkim FD and WWF. So much India yet to be explored. pic.twitter.com/NvMohtXxjT

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) January 15, 2024

Social media users shared their thoughts on Kaswan’s message. “Looks like a mini version of Grizzly bears,” one user commented. Also, as one user put it, “so much of nature is yet unexplored.”

The Tibetan brown bear, often known as the Tibetan blue bear, is one of the world’s rarest bear subspecies. Only a few have been observed so far from Nepal, Bhutan, and the Tibetan plateau, according to PTI.

Meanwhile, Parveen Kaswan announced that his team had discovered five bears in India. Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Brown Bear, Sloth Bear, Sun Bear, and Tibetan Brown Bear are the species.