The Aswal, or Sloth-Bear 



dull of sight and less quick-witted than either tigers or 

 leopards, they find more difficulty in deciding on their 

 line of flight, so that such encounters are more frequent 

 than in the case of the two animals last mentioned. A 

 female bear with her young ones is more prone to 

 attack than is a solitary individual ; and, of course, one 

 brought to bay is at all times dangerous. Still there 

 appear to be instances where these bears have attacked 

 without any assignable reason. It is often stated that 

 when at close quarters they rise on their hind-legs for 

 the final rush ; but this is denied by Mr. G. P. 

 Sanderson (from whose account many of the following 

 observations are taken), and it is quite certain that the 

 sloth-bear does not " hug " its victim after the fashion 

 popularly, but erroneously, attributed to other members 

 of the bear tribe. 



As an illustration of the power of these animals, it 

 may be mentioned that during the winter of 1897-98 

 an encounter took place between a polar bear and an 

 Indian sloth-bear at Sanger's Circus, in which the latter 

 came off an easy victor. It seems at first sight remark- 

 able that such a powerful animal as a polar bear should 

 have been so easily vanquished, but it was doubtless 

 the cruelly long claws of the Indian species that did the 

 business, while the length and shagginess of its coat 

 would protect it from the teeth and shorter talons of 

 its northern antagonist. 



It is commonly asserted by sportsmen that when 

 one of two sloth-bears in company is struck by a bullet, 

 it immediately institutes a savage assault on its com- 

 panion. Mr. Sanderson, has, however, thrown doubt 

 on the truth of this statement, although I can vouch 

 for its correctness in the case of the Himalayan brown 

 bear. 



A novice in tracking may easily mistake the foot- 

 prints of a sloth-bear for those of a man, but close 

 inspection will show that there are four where there 

 should be only two, while further examination will 



391 



