#Sloth toptracker full#

The man managed to thwart the sloth bear with a well-placed blow by a billhook to the head.

The late Percy De Alwis, a former assistant director of Sri LankaвЂ™s Department of Wildlife Conservation, recorded how a honey gatherer was charged by a very determined and aggressive sloth bear. Surprised, the sloth bear hurtles off in the direction it is facing or charges the вЂњattackerвЂќ with unbridled ferocity.ДЇew creatures can display the courage of a mother sloth bear defending its young to the death. It is this very same habit of deep sleep, or being totally engrossed in sucking up termites with high relish, that brings about tragedy, both for the sloth bear and for the unfortunate human who unwittingly stumbles upon the animal. Such close encounters, fortunately for both parties, resulted in the respective parties вЂњheading for the hills at great speedвЂќ in the opposite directions. A sloth bear digs up the soil in search of a tasty meal of ants.

#Sloth toptracker full#

So deep is its sleep, especially with a belly full of palu fruit, that several villagers I know have strayed to within a few feet of the creature before the snoring alerted them of its presence.

Once the вЂњinner bearвЂќ is satisfied, he would retire to his den or to some place of convenience, like a hollow log, or a crevice among boulders to contentedly suck his paws with a humming noise, perhaps to fall into deep snoring sleep. The sloth bear is a вЂњgentleвЂќ beast who seeks to lead his life in his own quiet way, undisturbed, grubbing for worms, beetles and termites, breaking open the hard termite mounds with his steel-hard claws, or climb the Ceylon ironwood trees ( Manilkara hexandra), known as palu, in search of its beloved berries. A content sloth bear is easy to identify, like this one relaxing after a hearty meal of termites.

To describe an animal with such a reputation as a вЂњwonderful creatureвЂќ would appear to be gross distortion of the truth. Yet the greatest fear that lurks among forest communities is of becoming вЂњthe living deadвЂќ: blinded, incapacitated, and totally dependent on others until death finally takes over, looked upon as a welcome relief from a lifetime of suffering. Add that to the distinct possibility of being blinded, disfigured, or losing a limb or two, the reasons for fear and animosity toward this creature are very clear.

Whereas with the terrible вЂњclose quarters chargeвЂќ of the sloth bear ( Melursus ursinus), there is none. Many men of the jungle have told me they would rather face the charge of an elephant, as there is still some chance of escape. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.Д«ear! The very word may strike terror in the hearts of some, but unknown to many, this wonderful creature is on the brink of extinction in Sri Lanka, with its numbers very drastically reduced, its habitats decimated, and the hand of man firmly turned against him out of abject fear.

A threatened species, there are fewer than 1,000 sloth bears in Sri Lanka.

ItвЂ™s among the most feared and misunderstood creatures on the island, and this fear often results in humans attacking these animals first, leading to bear deaths but also grievous injury or death to humans.

In Sri Lanka, the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inoratus) is on the decline, its population dropping drastically over the years.