Certificate - Etheses - Saurashtra University

wildlife sanctuary, brown bears were found to extensively dig soil for feeding on
grasses, forbs, roots of several plant species. Besides feeding on plant matter, the diet
of brown bear was found consisting of insects, ants and livestock, particularly sheep
and goats.
We observed that the annual frequency occurrence of plant matter in the scats of
brown bear was very high, and its major part was comprised of unidentified food
plants. Whereas the annual frequency of occurrence of animal matter in the scats of
brown bears was comparatively less. Ants and insects constituted 9.3% and 5.2%
respectively of the bear diet. The annual frequency occurrence of hairs, bones, jaws
and teeth and claws and nails varied from 0.6% to 2.9%. Food habit studies of Mealey
(1980), Servheen (1983), Mace and Jonkel (1986), Cicnjak et al. (1987), Ohdachi and
Aoi (1987) and Hamer and Herrero (1987b) also revealed the similar findings that
ants and insects were the most frequently eaten animal food, which provided
consistent source of high quality animal proteins available to bears. According to
Southwood (1973), ants were found to contain more than 50% protein. Even a food
item comprising of fraction of the diet, such as ants, could provide essential amino
acids to bears (Eagle and Pelton, 1983). Diggings and stone uplifting in alpine and
sub-alpine zones of the study area suggested that ants and insects constituted the
important food items of brown bear.
When we considered the annual frequency occurrence of plant and animal matter in
the brown bear diet, there was more plant matter than the animal matter in all seasons
in the brown bear diet in the study area. This was found to be similar with vegetarian
food habits of brown bear diet studied elsewhere (Cicnjak et al., 1987 and Ohdachi
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