Industry Odisha Bureau, Jun 5: When multiple instances of relentless felling of trees, that too ironically by rational human beings on the pretext of pacing up developmental projects at the cost of environmental degradation and ecological imbalance are hogging the headlines, researchers have reportedly discovered that the sloth bears significantly play a major role in multiplying the plant species in the “semi-arid deciduous forest of the Aravalli mountains dotted with lakes” in the desert state of Rajasthan.
Reportedly, the researchers have found out that, “some plant species are multiplying owing to the seasonal diet and seed dispersal habits of the wild animals called sloth bears.”
It has also been reported that, “seeds of a few fruiting plants germinated better after being eaten by the sloth bears.”
As per media reports, the researchers are KS Gopi Sundar, Vijay Kumar Koli and Utkarsh Prajapati, while the title of their study has reportedly been mentioned as: “Seasonal Diet and Seed Dispersal by Sloth Bears Melursus ursinus in Western India”.
The researchers have also discovered that, “The dietary habit of the sloth bears differ in winter and summer seasons. While they feed on fruits available in the Aravalli mountains in winter, they prefer insects and termites as their favourite diet in the summer since the bears are omnivorous beings like the Homo sapiens (human beings).”
The researchers revealed to media that, “the sloth bears are selective seed dispersers, but their potential to multiply plant species in a semi-arid deciduous forest of the Aravalli mountains is praiseworthy.”
However, this omnivorous mammal called ‘sloth bear’ reportedly “bears the tag of being ‘Vulnerable’ as accorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and endemic to the Indian sub-continent”.
