Are there bears in the Gobi Desert? Yes, but not many

When talking about the Gobi Desert , many people may think of a barren desert, but this is not all there is to the Gobi Desert. In this environment, there is actually a strong and fragile ecosystem, with scattered oases supporting many animals, such as marmots, Gobi argali, wild camels, snow leopards, and the world's most endangered brown bear - the Gobi bear (Ursus arctos gobiensis).

The Gobi bear is called "Mazaalai" in Mongolian and is the "national bear" of Mongolia. It is a subspecies of the brown bear. At one time, there were only about 20 individuals left, living only in the Great Gobi Desert Reserve (GGSPAA) in southwestern Mongolia . They have a monotonous diet and a secretive temperament, and scientists are still working hard to understand them.

Brown bears in the Gobi Desert | gobibearproject.org

The powerful yet fragile Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert on the border between Mongolia and China is the fifth largest desert in the world . The word "Gobi" also comes from the Mongolian word "Говь", which means desert or gravel desert. The temperature here ranges greatly, reaching minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter and 40 degrees Celsius in summer; the annual precipitation is only 190 mm, which is only equivalent to the 24-hour rainfall of a heavy rainstorm.

Common landforms in the Gobi Desert | gobibearproject.org

In such a barren environment, scattered oasis complexes support the Gobi Desert ecosystem. These areas often have surface water, which nourishes plants and animals, who come here to find food and drink water.

Gobi bears mainly feed on plants in oases, but their single diet makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental damage . If the Gobi Desert becomes drier and there are fewer plants to eat, they face the threat of starvation. Since the 1970s, the distribution range of Gobi bears has shrunk by 60% due to factors such as increased competition for water sources and the expansion of human activities. In addition, they are also threatened by poaching and illegal mining.

Gobi bears in the bush｜gobibearproject.org

In order to protect the Gobi bear and other wild animals, Mongolia has established a " strict nature reserve ". Since 1985, Mongolia has begun to release food for the Gobi bears in spring and autumn, including wheat, corn, carrots and turnips. Scientists also set up cameras and collected hair at feeding points to understand the population composition of the Gobi bear. In 2009, scientists only found 21 individuals; by 2021, this number finally rose to 51.

Despite this, the Gobi bear is still rated as a Critically Endangered (CR) species in the IUCN Red List.

Mongolia's "national bear" is both familiar and unfamiliar

Despite being Mongolia's "national bear" and in urgent need of protection, the Gobi bear remains quite mysterious to humans .

The Gobi Desert is sparsely populated, and Gobi bears are secretive and tend to avoid human grazing and settlements . Scientists have long had difficulty accurately understanding their living conditions. In 1989, the famous wildlife biologist George Schaller went to Mongolia for a field survey. When he was purchasing supplies, he could only find a few cans of peanuts, which was obviously not enough for a scientific expedition team to live in the desert for several weeks . In the end, thanks to the warm hospitality of the local villagers, the scientific expedition was completed.

The Gobi Bear commemorative silver coin issued by the Central Bank of Mongolia in 2017 is priced at 300,000 tugriks (about 800 yuan) | news.mn

After the 1990s, Mongolia became more open, and Gobi bears and other wildlife resources came into the view of the international scientific community.

In order to better protect the Gobi bear and the Gobi Desert ecological environment, the Chinese government officially launched the Gobi bear protection technology project in Mongolia in 2018. This is also the first wildlife protection technology aid project of the Chinese government . Scientists conducted a more in-depth investigation of the local ecological environment to understand the distribution of plants that Gobi bears feed on, and set up more infrared cameras for continuous monitoring. I hope that this project will tell us more about Gobi bears in the next few years.

Gobi bear bathing in a water source | Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry / People's Daily Online - International Channel

Everything is great and small

Gobi bears are now better protected, and surveys over the past decade or so have shown an upward trend in their population; however, their future remains bleak .

Gobi bears under the night sky｜gobibearproject.org

First, the Gobi bear population is still too small. The most optimistic estimate is that there are less than 100 individuals , and the genetic diversity is too low.

The extremely low population density of Gobi bears in the vast Gobi Desert also means that individuals may have difficulty finding mates during the estrus period. Moreover, among the 51 known individuals, only 15 are females. Scientists initially suspected that females were more likely to be missed by surveys because of differences in the range and pattern of activities between the sexes; but after combining multiple survey methods for statistics, they ruled out this possibility.

Secondly, like many other species, Gobi bears are also affected by climate change . As the environment in the Gobi Desert becomes more hostile, with rising temperatures and less precipitation, Gobi bears will face the threat of food shortages. Climate change will also lead to more frequent local extreme weather events. For such a small population that is only distributed in a specific area, a meteorological disaster is enough to bring about a catastrophe for the entire species.

Gobi bears walking in the oasis｜gobibearproject.org

The Gobi brown bear is a microcosm of many animals affected by the Anthropocene. They have not experienced targeted large-scale hunting, but their living space has been continuously compressed due to climate change and the expansion of human activities.

As the only brown bear subspecies living in desert environments, scientists believe that they are likely to carry some unique mutations that allow them to adapt to the harsh environment. I hope they can stay with us and wait for the day when this mystery is revealed.

References

[1] Tumendemberel O et al. (2021) Ecosphere 12 (8):e03696

[2] Tumendemberel O et al. (2015) Ursus 26 (2):129-142

[3] IUCN Red List: Brown Bear

[4] McCarthy T (2020) Nature 579 (7798):338-340

[5] People’s Daily Online: China helps Mongolia protect endangered “national bear”

[6] People’s Daily Online: China’s aid to Mongolia’s Gobi bear protection project has achieved phased results

Author: Maya Blue

Editor: Old Cat

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