Human–sloth bear conflict in a human-dominated landscape of northern Odisha, India

Abstract Planning for human–carnivore coexistence requires detailed understanding of the ecological and sociological circumstances associated with conflict, particularly in multi-use, human-dominated landscapes. We investigated the influence of socio-ecological factors on human–sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) conflict in a human-dominated landscape of Balasore Wildlife Division, eastern India. We examined human–sloth bear conflict data from 12 years (2002–2013) and assessed the attitudes of the people toward sloth bears through semi-structured interviews with 350 people. We recorded 167 human–sloth bear conflict incidents, including 201 human casualties (4 deaths, 104 permanent injuries, and 93 minor injuries) and 7 retaliatory killings of sloth bears. More human–sloth bear conflict occurred during the monsoon season (Jul to Oct) than in other seasons. Monsoon is the peak growing season, when villagers spent more time outdoors farming, including near forest. In addition, lack of toilets in the villages may ...