There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Tracking Gobi Grizzlies.
I had seen a fair amount of sprouting wild onions as well as new clumps of low-growing Stipa gobicum grass during my walks. The bears grazed both these species, and all of us chopped up the wild onion to sprinkle on our dinner noodles. When newly sprouted, both types of plants are at their richest in carbohydrates and protein and hold the most liquid. According to Schaller, the moisture content of the onion shoots during spring is 86 percent; in the blades of the Stipa, 67 percent. The more the bears can find, the less often they have to trek to an oasis for water. If the summer rains prove generous, some onion and Stipa will continue sprouting and growing all season and into the fall. Another source of high-energy green food the bears grazed were the sprouts and lower stalks of the tall Phragmites reeds ( technically, a species of grass ) that flourish in beds at a number of the springs. Grasslike sedges grew from moist soil close to the water's edge, and I saw evidence of recent feeding on them. Brown bears round the Northern Hemisphere eat young sedges. So do most resident ungulates. The GGSPA oasis held so many kinds of fresh tracks that I couldn't be sure which animals had been grazing down the sedges, but the mazaalai surely took part.
Bears of the Himalayan Mountains
