Sun bear vs. „urinal men“ – or: Is it safe to camp in Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan jungle?
I have camped all my life in wilderness areas. I have had bears, leopards, spotted hyenas visiting my camps. But what I heard and saw in three days and one night in Kaeng Krachan is another level.
https://www.wilddocu.de/camping-in-the-jungle-of-kaeng-krachan-thailand-is-it-safe/
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6 Comments
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PandaSmith
I’ve always thought the bear (now many bears) at Kaeng Krachan are an accident waiting to happen. Luckily so far, going on 15+++ years, there have been no accidents. They’ve tried relocations to no avail… Mother bears are enculturating their young to come as well. I think everyone is simply hoping for the best. If it were America the bears would have already been killed, which is something they would not readily do here in Thailand.
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Ralf Bürglin
I have found a study here regarding the danger posed by sun bears: Sethy and Chauhan, 2013: Human-sun bears conflict in Mizoram, North East India: Impact and conservation management
January 2013 International. Journal of Conservation Science 4(3): 317-328.
Abstract: “Interactions between Malayan sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) and humans in Mizoram state. We carried out informal interview in 40 villages out of 60 villages covered, locating in and around the protected areas of Mizoram, North-eastern state, during 2008 to 2010. In total there were 33 human casualties by sun bear during 2000-2010. Males were attacked (n=26,78.8%) and female were attacked (n=7, 21.2%). Injuries were caused to face, nose, eyes, neck, hand and legs. … Bear attacks were recorded in all the seasons, but maximum cases occurred during autumn and winter months. … Out of 33 cases, victims were mainly in the age group of 31-40 years (45.5 %), followed by 21-30 years (33.3 %), and 41-50 years (12.1%). Bear accounted for only 6.1 % and 3.0 % cases in the age group of 11-20 years and 51>years respectively. Information on sun bear attacks on human beings and circumstances are presented and discussed. Maximum cases i.e. 21 (63.6 %) occurred in forests, followed by 9 (27. 3 %) cases in crop fields and 3 (9.1%) cases in the vicinity of villages. These victims were involved in cattle grazing, farming or crop protection or moving in forests or vicinity of villages or non-timber forest produce collection. Most of these incidents occurred during morning, evening and night time when bears remained most active. Recommendations have been made for reducing conflict and conservation of sun bear.”And one quote from the actual text: “As elsewhere in Southeast Asia, villagers recognized close encounters with sun bears to be potentially or extremely dangerous [1]. Sun bears are known as fierce animals in its range and would attack humans and inflict serious wounds when surprised in the forests [22].”
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Flemming Versloot
I guess for sun bears the same rules count as for other bears, never leave any food item or garbage smelling like a food item in the tent.