Confirmation of the Tibetan Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) in Central Nepal Based on Genetic and Camera‐Trap Evidence
10 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
- 2Himalayan Nepal Program The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (SPECIES) Kathmandu Nepal
- 3One Step Co., Ltd., Program and Research Section Nagoya Aichi Japan
- 4National Trust for Nature Conservation Lalitpur Nepal
- 5Institute of Forestry Tribhuvan University Pokhara Nepal
- 6S.P.E.C.I.E.S.‐The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study Ventura California USA
- 7Center for Human‐Carnivore Coexistence Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
- 8Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) Government of Nepal Kathmandu Nepal
- 9Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
- 10One Health Research Center Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
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.
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BibTeX
@article{baral2026confirmation,
title = {{Confirmation of the Tibetan Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) in Central Nepal Based on Genetic and Camera‐Trap Evidence}},
author = {Rishi Baral and Ram Bahadur Gurung and Abhisek Sapkota and Naresh Subedi and Anthony J. Giordano and Rajan Prasad Paudel and Rabin Kadariya and Gopal Khanal and Kinoshita Kodzue and Toshio Tsubota and Michito Shimozuru},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74400},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74400},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Confirmation of the Tibetan Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) in Central Nepal Based on Genetic and Camera‐Trap Evidence
AU - Rishi Baral
AU - Ram Bahadur Gurung
AU - Abhisek Sapkota
AU - Naresh Subedi
AU - Anthony J. Giordano
AU - Rajan Prasad Paudel
AU - Rabin Kadariya
AU - Gopal Khanal
AU - Kinoshita Kodzue
AU - Toshio Tsubota
AU - Michito Shimozuru
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74400
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74400
AB - 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.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -