Asian Black Bear

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia, lives in the Himalayas, southeastern Iran, the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, the Korean Peninsula, China, the Russian Far East, the islands of Honshu and Shikoku in Japan, and Taiwan. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is threatened by deforestation and poaching for its body parts, which are used in traditional medicine. This photo was taken at the conservation and breeding centre Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India on June11, 2022. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto