Rare Tibetan brown bear sighted in Sikkim
Gangtok, Jan 14: A rare Tibetan brown bear species has been found roaming in the high altitude areas of North Sikkim, officials of the state's Forest and Wildlife Department said on Sunday.
Camera traps captured the bear (scientific name: Ursus arctos pruinosus) with its characteristic yellowish scarf-like collar that broadens from the shoulders to the chest in Mangan district last month.
This rare bear is very different from the more commonly found Himalayan black bear in terms of its appearance, habitat and behaviour, the officials said.
The omnivore lives in high-altitude alpine forests, meadows and steppe above 4000 m and feeds on marmots and alpine vegetation.
"The discovery of a rare Tibetan brown bear marks a significant moment for biodiversity in the region and underscores the importance of preserving and protecting the state's precious wildlife," an official said.
The Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan blue bear, is one of the rarest subspecies of bears in the world, and is rarely sighted in the wild. Only a few were sighted from Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibetan plateau.
With assistance from Lachen Dzumsa, a traditional socio-political institution of North Sikkim, a forest and wildlife department team set up camera traps in high altitudes of Mangan district and captured this elusive bear.
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I had suggested to CWC that Rahul Gandhi should be Leader of Opposition in LS: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Congratulating Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for occupying the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said it was he who had suggested and moved a proposal at a recent Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, urging him to take up the role.
The decision on Gandhi's appointment as the Leader of Opposition was announced soon after a meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress chief M Mallikarjun Kharge's residence last night.
"At the (Congress) working committee meeting I had suggested and moved a proposal that Rahul Gandhi should accept the post of Leader of Opposition. To face the BJP government and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi I had urged that you (Rahul Gandhi) should become the Leader of Opposition and so did the working committee and others. Rahul Gandhi accepting this responsibility is good in the interest of the country," Siddaramaiah said.
While speaking to reporters here, he said: "I congratulate him wholeheartedly for taking this responsibility."
Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar said it was the wish of the people and the demand of the party workers that Gandhi should accept this responsibility.
Congress party and INDI Alliance will grow stronger under his leadership, he said.
"On behalf of the INDI Alliance and on behalf of the people of the country I would like to congratulate Rahul Gandhi for accepting our demand. It is not his wish, it is the wish of the people of the country. He has accepted it. I would like to congratulate Sonia Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge for taking the bold decision and for insisting on him (Rahul) to accept this responsibility," Shivakumar added.
