Publications

use of dissociative anesthetics for the immobilization of captive bears: blood gas, hematology and biochemistry values.	nineteen bears, representing five species (helarctos malayanus, ursus americanus, ursus arctos, tremarctos ornatus, melursus ursinus) were immobilized a total of 52 times using either phencyclidine-promazine or tiletamine-zolazepam. blood gas, hematology, and serum biochemistry values were determined during the immobilizations. immobilizations conducted with tiletamine-zolazepam were characterized by rapid induction and recovery times, good muscle relaxation, and relative freedom from convulsion ...	1980	7463600
extrahepatic biliary carcinoma in sloth bears.	extrahepatic biliary carcinoma was found in each of 5 adult sloth bears that died between 1970 and 1984 while on exhibit in ohio zoos. the tumor was characterized by numerous mucin-producing neoplastic glands scattered throughout abundant fibrous stroma. the cause of the tumor was not determined.	1984	6096326
protein sequence evidence for monophyly of the carnivore families procyonidae and mustelidae.	the amino acid sequence of the eye lens protein alpha-crystallin a of the ring-tailed cat, bassariscus astutus, has been determined. the sequence of the bassariscus alpha a chain, which is 173 residues long, was compared with the previously determined set of 41 mammalian alpha a sequences. among the investigated carnivores (dog, cat, sloth bear, american mink, gray seal, and california sea lion) the bassariscus alpha a sequence exclusively shares two amino acid replacements with the alpha a chai ...	1986	3444403
sloth bear immobilization with a ketamine-xylazine combination: reversal with yohimbine.	five captive sloth bears (melursus ursinus) were immobilized with a combination of ketamine (5.80 to 9.75 mg/kg of body weight) and xylazine (1.40 to 2.44 mg/kg), given im. the youngest bear was immobilized twice, 62 days apart; all other bears were immobilized only once. induction times were 4 to 25 minutes. after completion of various intended procedures, yohimbine (0.125 mg/kg) was administered iv. arousal times were 2 to 20 minutes and bears were standing in 17 to 51 minutes. compared with r ...	1986	3505926
molecular genetic-distance estimates among the ursidae as indicated by one- and two-dimensional protein electrophoresis.	evolutionary relationships among eight species of ursidae (including the giant panda) relative to two procyonidae species (raccoon and red panda) were estimated based on the extent of electrophoretic variation of 289 radiolabelled fibroblast proteins resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and among 44 isozyme loci resolved by one-dimensional electrophoresis. allelic differences among these species were converted to genetic distances, and phenetic trees were constructed. in addition, the ...	1989	28568545
[the occurrence of tumors in large bears (ursidae)--a literature review and six case descriptions].	histological findings on two malayan sun bears and four sloth bears show that malignant neoplasms play an important role in tropic bears. further, most of the tumors originated from the hepatic and biliary tract. our results were compared with other investigations on zoo animals during the last 70 years revealing that malignant neoplasms are the most common ones in bears of the family ursidae. accordingly to our results, sloth and malayan sun bears seem to have a disposition to develop malignant ...	1991	1930110
the immunocytochemistry of cytokeratin in fish tissues.	an increasing interest in fish species as sentinels of environmental pollution and in carcinogenesis research has led to the identification of diagnostically challenging neoplasms of uncertain cellular origin and the need for additional diagnostic methods. to determine the potential of using commercially available antibodies to intermediate filament proteins on paraffin-embedded fish tissues for immunocytochemistry in tumor diagnosis, the application of three antikeratin antibodies to normal adu ...	1993	7505508
ursodeoxycholic acid in the ursidae: biliary bile acids of bears, pandas, and related carnivores.	the biliary bile acid composition of gallbladder bile obtained from six species of bears (ursidae), the giant panda, the red panda, and 11 related carnivores were determined by reversed phase liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. bile acids were conjugated solely with taurine (in n-acyl linkage) in all species. ursodeoxycholic acid (3 alpha, 7 beta-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acid) was present in all ursidae, averaging 1-39% of biliary bile acids depending on the spe ...	1993	8263415
phylogenetic relationships of bears (the ursidae) inferred from mitochondrial dna sequences.	the phylogenetic relationships among some bear species are still open questions. we present here mitochondrial dna sequences of d-loop region, cytochrome b, 12s rrna, trna(pro), and trna(thr) genes from all bear species and the giant panda. a series of evolutionary trees with concordant topology has been derived based on the combined data set of all of the mitochondrial dna sequences, which may have resolved the evolutionary relationships of all bear species: the ancestor of the spectacled bear ...	1994	7697192
oocyte recovery and maturation in the american black bear (ursus americanus): a model for endangered ursids.	a study was conducted to determine if meiotic maturation could be induced in ovarian oocytes of the american black bear (ursus americanus), a model for gamete "rescue" techniques for endangered ursids. ovaries obtained from 48 black bears yielded 2,403 oocytes (51.1 +/- 4.9/female), of which 777 (32.3%) were morphologically classified as excellent quality. more total oocytes were recovered from donors that were anestrous compared to luteal/pregnant (p < 0.05) at the time of ovarian excision. del ...	1994	8207381
a phylogeny of the bears (ursidae) inferred from complete sequences of three mitochondrial genes.	complete sequences of dna are described for the cytochrome b trna(thr) and trna(pro) genes of mitochondria of four extant species of ursids and compared to sequences of four other species of ursids previously studied by us. phylogenetic analyses indicate that the giant panda and the spectacled bear are the basal taxa of the ursid radiation. the ursines, a group which includes the sun bear, sloth bear, american black bear, asiatic black bear, brown bear, and polar bear, experienced a rapid radiat ...	1996	8744769
transrectal ultrasonographic examination of the female urogenital tract in nonpregnant and pregnant captive bears (ursidae).	the development of reliable methods for monitoring the reproductive cycle of bears is needed to optimise breeding management in captivity. the aim of the present study was to develop non-invasive procedures for obtaining basic data on the reproductive status of nonpregnant and pregnant bears. eight female captive bears (five ursus arctos arctos, two tremarctos ornatus and one melursus ursinus) were examined using transrectal adaptor ultrasonographic imaging. plasma concentrations of progesterone ...	1997	9404299
rapid radiation events in the family ursidae indicated by likelihood phylogenetic estimation from multiple fragments of mtdna.	the bear family (ursidae) presents a number of phylogenetic ambiguities as the evolutionary relationships of the six youngest members (ursine bears) are largely unresolved. recent mitochondrial dna analyses have produced conflicting results with respect to the phylogeny of ursine bears. in an attempt to resolve these issues, we obtained 1916 nucleotides of mitochondrial dna sequence data from six gene segments for all eight bear species and conducted maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony anal ...	1999	10508542
effects of inedible, manipulable objects on captive bears.	bears in captivity often show abnormal behaviors such as stereotypies and periods of excessive inactivity. most of the research aimed at reducing abnormal behaviors in bears has focused on feeding enrichment. however, the effects of feeding enrichment only seem to last as long as it takes a bear to consume the food. this study investigated the effects of inedible, manipulable objects on bears. two polar bears (ursus maritimus) received plastic floats. a sloth bear (melursus ursinus) and a specta ...	1999	16363951
phylogeny of the bears (ursidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes.	the taxomic classification and phylogenetic relationships within the bear family remain argumentative subjects in recent years. prior investigation has been concentrated on the application of different mitochondrial (mt) sequence data, herein we employ two nuclear single-copy gene segments, the partial exon 1 from gene encoding interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (irbp) and the complete intron 1 from transthyretin (ttr) gene, in conjunction with previously published mt data, to clarify t ...	2004	15223031
noninvasive monitoring of adrenocortical activity in carnivores by fecal glucocorticoid analyses.	measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces has become an accepted method for the noninvasive evaluation of adrenocortical activity. the objective of this study was to determine if a simple cortisol enzyme immunoassay (eia) was suitable for monitoring adrenocortical activity in a variety of carnivore species. performance of the cortisol eia was gauged by comparison to a corticosterone radioimmunoassay (ria) that has been used for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in feces of numerous s ...	2004	15158127
[a molecular phylogeny of shennongjia white bear based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence].	the phylogenetic relationship of shennongjia white bear has been an open question. total dna was extracted and sequenced from hair and feces of shennongjia white bear. based on the partial cyt b gene sequence obtained from the samples, the authors aligned them using the clustal w software program. the mega software was used to analyze the divergences and base substitutions of the partial cyt b gene among the 11 species: shennongjia white bear, selenarctos thibetanus, euarctos americanus, helarct ...	2006	17035181
analysis of complete mitochondrial genome sequences increases phylogenetic resolution of bears (ursidae), a mammalian family that experienced rapid speciation.	despite the small number of ursid species, bear phylogeny has long been a focus of study due to their conservation value, as all bear genera have been classified as endangered at either the species or subspecies level. the ursidae family represents a typical example of rapid evolutionary radiation. previous analyses with a single mitochondrial (mt) gene or a small number of mt genes either provide weak support or a large unresolved polytomy for ursids. we revisit the contentious relationships wi ...	2007	17956639
mitochondrial genomes reveal an explosive radiation of extinct and extant bears near the miocene-pliocene boundary.	despite being one of the most studied families within the carnivora, the phylogenetic relationships among the members of the bear family (ursidae) have long remained unclear. widely divergent topologies have been suggested based on various data sets and methods.	2008	18662376
combined analysis of fourteen nuclear genes refines the ursidae phylogeny.	despite numerous studies, questions remain about the evolutionary history of ursidae and additional independent genetic markers were needed to elucidate these ambiguities. for this purpose, we sequenced ten nuclear genes for all the eight extant bear species. by combining these new sequences with those of four other recently published nuclear markers, we provide new insights into the phylogenetic relationships of the ursidae family members. the hypothesis that the giant panda was the first speci ...	2008	18328735
hematology of sloth bears (melursus ursinus ursinus) from two locations in india.	standard hematology parameters were determined for 122 sloth bears (melursus ursinus ursinus) at the sur sarovar bird sanctuary, uttar pradesh, india (27 degrees 0'n; 77 degrees 45'e), and the bannerghatta biological park, karnataka, india (12 degrees 48'n; 77 degrees 34'e) from march 2003 to july 2006. these two native sloth bear habitats have different climatic conditions and provided an opportunity to examine the effect of climate on the physiologic hematology values of these bears. we primar ...	2008	18436689
habituation to environmental enrichment in captive sloth bears--effect on stereotypies.	the benefits to captive animals of environmental enrichment (ee) are widely recognized. few studies have, however, studied how to maximise the effect of ee. one issue with ee programs seems to be habituation to the enrichment device. to study the effect of habituation to ee, 14 captive sloth bears (melursus ursinus) were subjected to two different ee treatments. treatment one presented ee (logs with honey containing holes) for five consecutive days, whereas treatment two presented ee on intermit ...	2010	20069629
molecular prevalence and characterization of hepatozoon ursi infection in indian sloth bears (melursus ursinus).	hepatozoon species are parasites that infect a wide variety of domestic and wild animals. the objective of the study was to detect the occurrence of hepatozoon ursi in indian sloth bears and to characterize the parasite based on phylogenetic analysis of the partial 18s rrna gene sequence. hepatozoon infection could be detected in 38 (70%) out of fifty-four blood samples of indian sloth bears (captive and wild), suggestive of high prevalence of hepatozoon infection in indian sloth bears. sequenci ...	2011	21723665
effects of body weight and season on serum lipid concentrations in sloth bears (melursus ursinus ursinus).	serum lipid levels were measured in 66 healthy sloth bears (melursus ursinus ursinus) living under semicaptive conditions with access to natural food resources in the bannerghatta biological park (karnataka, india), a portion of their native habitat range in the indian peninsula. total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (hdl) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were analyzed. the effects of age, body weight, and season on these lipid parameters were stat ...	2011	22950308
grievous temporal and occipital injury caused by a bear attack.	bear attacks are reported from nearly every part of the world. the chance of a human encountering a bear increases as the remote bear territory diminishes. the sloth bear is one of the three species of bears found in india, which inhabits the forests of india and its neighboring countries. here we describe a teenager who came to us with a critical injury involving the face, temporal and occipital bones inflicted by a sloth bear attack. he underwent a temporal exploration, facial nerve decompress ...	2013	24396623
bears in a forest of gene trees: phylogenetic inference is complicated by incomplete lineage sorting and gene flow.	ursine bears are a mammalian subfamily that comprises six morphologically and ecologically distinct extant species. previous phylogenetic analyses of concatenated nuclear genes could not resolve all relationships among bears, and appeared to conflict with the mitochondrial phylogeny. evolutionary processes such as incomplete lineage sorting and introgression can cause gene tree discordance and complicate phylogenetic inferences, but are not accounted for in phylogenetic analyses of concatenated ...	2014	24903145
chemical immobilization of sloth bears (melursus ursinus) with ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride: hematology and serum biochemical values.	the present study was conducted to define the physiological responses of captive sloth bears immobilized with ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride and to determine and compare the values of hematology and serum biochemical parameters between sexes. a total of 15 sloth bears were immobilized using combination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride drugs at the dose rate of 5.0 milligram (mg) per kg body weight and 2.0 mg per kg body weight, respectively. the use of comb ...	2014	24876990
genetic variation, structure, and gene flow in a sloth bear (melursus ursinus) meta-population in the satpura-maikal landscape of central india.	sloth bears (melursus ursinus) are endemic to the indian subcontinent. as a result of continued habitat loss and degradation over the past century, sloth bear populations have been in steady decline and now exist only in isolated or fragmented habitat across the entire range. we investigated the genetic connectivity of the sloth bear meta-population in five tiger reserves in the satpura-maikal landscape of central india. we used noninvasively collected fecal and hair samples to obtain genotypic ...	2015	25945939
behavioural profiles of brown and sloth bears in captivity.	three brown bear (ursusarctosarctos) individuals and two sloth bear (melursusursinusinornatus) individuals were observed in captivity to produce behavioural profiles for each individual. data collected through behavioural observations were used to produce activity budgets, and to identify space usage and certain aspects of social behavior. behaviour monitoring allowed the researchers to evaluate the welfare of the animals by identifying the occurrence of stereotypic behaviours, which are sometim ...	2017	28505095
characteristics of human - sloth bear (melursus ursinus) encounters and the resulting human casualties in the kanha-pench corridor, madhya pradesh, india.	sloth bears (melursus ursinus) caused the highest number of human deaths between 2001 and 2015 and ranked second compared to other wild animals in causing human casualties in the kanha-pench corridor area. we studied the patterns of sloth bear attacks in the region to understand the reasons for conflict. we interviewed 166 victims of sloth bear attacks which occurred between 2004 and 2016 and found that most attacks occurred in forests (81%), with the greatest number of those (42%) occurring dur ...	2017	28448565
bioaugmentation of the anaerobic digestion of food waste by dungs of herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore zoo animals.	the potential improvement of biomethanation of food waste (fw) by adding dung of herbivore (giraffe, llama, koala), carnivore (tiger), and omnivore (sloth bear) animals to anaerobic sludge (ans) was investigated. adding 30% giraffe, sloth bear or koala dung to the ans inoculum yielded, respectively, a 11.17 (±4.51), 10.10 (±1.23), and 1.41 (±0.56)% higher biomethane production, as compared to the control (fw with solely ans). the highest biomethane production of 564.00 (±3.88) ml ch4/gvsadded ob ...	2017	28274187
a review of 48 patients after bear attacks in central india: demographics, management and outcomes.	bear attacks though relatively rare are frequent enough to be of concern for those who are in bear habitats. our centre at nagpur, being surrounded by dense forests from all the sides, treats a large number of victims.	2017	25991889
pandemic (h1n1) 2009 influenza a virus infection associated with respiratory signs in sloth bears (melursus ursinus).	in 2009, a pandemic influenza a virus (ph1n1) spread globally in humans and infected a broad range of captive animals with close human contact. in february 2014, a ph1n1 virus was isolated from a sloth bear with respiratory signs at a us zoo, demonstrating that recurring epidemics present an ongoing threat to animals, including threatened species. this is the first report of ph1n1 infection in sloth bears. to understand the sloth bear virus within the global context of ph1n1, phylogenetic trees ...	2017	28646559
spatial transposition tasks in indian sloth bears (melursus ursinus) and bornean sun bears (helarctos malayanus euryspilus).	spatial transposition tasks assess individuals' ability to represent nonvisible spatial object displacements. several nonhuman mammal species have been tested on this task including primates, cats, and dogs, but to date, great apes seem the only taxon that has repeatedly and consistently solved spatial transposition tasks. the authors investigated the ability of captive sloth and sun bears to solve spatial transposition tasks. both species belong to the same taxonomic group as cats and dogs, but ...	2017	28650183
phylogenetic conflict in bears identified by automated discovery of transposable element insertions in low-coverage genomes.	phylogenetic reconstruction from transposable elements (tes) offers an additional perspective to study evolutionary processes. however, detecting phylogenetically informative te insertions requires tedious experimental work, limiting the power of phylogenetic inference. here, we analyzed the genomes of seven bear species using high-throughput sequencing data to detect thousands of te insertions. the newly developed pipeline for te detection called teddypi (te detection and discovery for phylogen ...	2017	28985298
approaches to studying behavior in captive sloth bears through animal keeper feedback.	animal keepers at zoos and wildlife rescue centers often possess in-depth knowledge of the health and behavior of the individuals under their care. while it is often not feasible for keepers to regularly collect behavior data through formal scientific methods, efforts should be made to find alternative means to capture this knowledge. we investigated the use of keeper feedback to study the behavior of sloth bears at the agra bear rescue facility (abrf; agra, india). we prepared a survey with 5 q ...	2018	30465725
point of care tuberculosis sero-diagnosis kit for wild animals: combination of proteins for improving the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.	tuberculosis is a significant problem globally for domestic animals as well as captive and free ranging wild life. rapid point of care (poc) serology kits are well suited for the diagnosis of tb in wild animals. however, wild animals are invariably exposed to environmental non-pathogenic mycobacterium species with the development of cross reacting antibodies. in the present study, poc tb diagnosis kit was developed using a combination of pathogenic mycobacteria specific recombinant antigens and ...	2018	29434401
a work-for-food enrichment program increases exploration and decreases stereotypies in four species of bears.	zoo-housed bears are prone to exhibiting stereotypic behaviors, generally considered indicators of negative welfare. we explored the effects of a variable-time feeding enrichment schedule on behavioral indicators of welfare in four bear species at cleveland metroparks zoo. we distributed the diets of eight bears in one of five enrichment items, for two consecutive days each, and monitored behavior throughout the day. in experiment 1, we compared variable-time to fixed-time presentation of enrich ...	2018	29315790
spatio-temporal patterns of attacks on human and economic losses from wildlife in chitwan national park, nepal.	wildlife attacks on humans and economic losses often result in reduced support of local communities for wildlife conservation. information on spatial and temporal patterns of such losses in the highly affected areas contribute in designing and implementing effective mitigation measures. we analyzed the loss of humans, livestock and property caused by wildlife during 1998 to 2016, using victim family's reports to chitwan national park authorities and buffer zone user committees. a total of 4,014 ...	2018	29672538
sloth bears (melursus ursinus) fail to spontaneously solve a novel problem even if social cues and relevant experience are provided.	the ability to solve novel problems is crucial for the survival and fitness of individuals living in dynamic environments. studies of problem-solving date back to the beginning of the past century, but our knowledge is nonetheless still limited to very few taxa. in this study, we aimed to test a species of the order carnivora, sloth bears (melursus ursinus), on the ability to solve a novel foraging task. bears were individually presented with honey spread on the wall and a familiar bucket, and, ...	2019	30730152
circumstances of human conflicts with bears and patterns of bear maul injuries in bhutan: review of records 2015-2019.	bhutan is one of the biological hotspots in the world where humans and natural flora and fauna co-exist in close proximity. bhutan is home to two species of bears: sloth bear and himalayan black bear. human conflicts with bears are reported from all over the country. this study describes the profile of the victims and the pattern of injury resulting from bear attacks and circumstances around human conflicts with bears in bhutan between 2015 and 2019. this was a cross-sectional study with a revie ...	2020	32817716
spatial concentrations of wildlife attacks on humans in chitwan national park, nepal.	the study was conducted within and adjacent to chitwan national park in nepal (cnp), where several wildlife species are involved in conflicts with humans. we assessed the spatial relationships between the number of victims/km2 (=victim density or vd) of attack by wildlife (elephant, rhino, wild boar, sloth bear, leopard or tiger) versus landscape features, including both natural habitat type and land use by humans (e.g., nursery, orchard or cultivated). we identified four levels of vd, ranging f ...	2020	31963349
evisceration of brain: an unusual case report of bear mauling from eastern india.	even if human beings are the most intelligent among all living beings, they are still not immune to attack from wild animals. human contact with bears has become more frequent as their habitat is being endangered by frequent deforestation. the sloth bear is one of the few bear species found in india, especially in the hilly areas of southern odisha. bears are highly intelligent and omnivorous animals with long claws coupled with powerful shoulder. here, we describe the tale of a poor tribal male ...	2020	29114294
bear attack pattern and behavior in the himalayan region: a study from a tertiary care center.	reports of injuries caused by bear attacks are scarce in the himalayan region of india, such as uttarakhand, which is surrounded by hills and thick forests. we retrospectively studied 18 patients attacked by himalayan black and sloth bears to understand the pattern of the attacks and their management.	2020	32591216
review of anesthetic protocols in andean bears (tremarctos ornatus), sloth bears (melursus ursinus), and giant pandas (ailuropoda melanoleuca) at the smithsonian institution's national zoological park, 1995-2016.	a review of anesthetic procedures used in andean bears (tremarctos ornatus), sloth bears (melursus ursinus), and giant pandas (ailuropoda melanoleuca) housed at the smithsonian institution's national zoological park (nzp) from 1995 to 2016 was performed. a total of 146 anesthetic procedures (55 procedures on 12 andean bears, 38 procedures on nine sloth bears, and 53 procedures on five giant pandas) occurred at nzp during this time frame. induction protocols involved some combination of ketamine ...	2020	32212548
picture recognition of food by sloth bears (melursus ursinus).	pictures are often used in cognitive research to represent objects and many species have demonstrated the ability to recognize two-dimensional pictures as representations of their three-dimensional counterparts. however, for ursids picture recognition has been reported in only one study of a single 11-year-old female american black bear (johnson-ulrich et al. 2016). we tested the picture recognition abilities of an additional species, the sloth bear. after a food preference test by which the bea ...	2020	31630346