The quick answer
A male Himalayan brown bear typically measures about 1.5 to 2.2 metres in length and weighs in the rough range of 70 to 250 kg, with males markedly larger than females. It is one of the smaller-bodied brown bear subspecies, yet it remains the largest land mammal across much of its high-altitude range. Numbers are low: Pakistan is thought to hold only around 150 to 200 animals.
How big do they get?
Males reach roughly 1.5–2.2 metres nose to tail; females are smaller at about 1.4–1.8 metres. Weights vary widely with season and food, spanning around 70 kg in lean individuals to about 250 kg in large, well-fed males before hibernation. Compared with coastal giants like Kodiak bears, the Himalayan subspecies is modest in size — an adaptation, in part, to a sparse mountain diet.
How long do they live?
Like other brown bears, they generally live around 20 to 30 years in the wild and can live longer in captivity. But survival is precarious: many cubs die in their first years, and slow reproduction means lost animals are replaced only gradually.
How many are left?
There is no reliable rangewide count, but Pakistan — the heart of the surviving population — is estimated to hold roughly 150 to 200 bears. A 2022 field survey recorded 66 bears in and around Deosai National Park, the subspecies' last stronghold in the country. Because the global brown bear species numbers around 110,000 and is listed as Least Concern, those few hundred Himalayan animals are easily overlooked — yet within Pakistan the subspecies is treated as Critically Endangered.
Are they dangerous?
They are powerful wild animals and can be dangerous if surprised, cornered or defending cubs. In practice, though, they generally avoid people, and most conflict involves livestock rather than direct attacks on humans. Giving them space and never approaching cubs is the simplest way to stay safe in bear country.
For full measurements, taxonomy and range detail, see our Himalayan brown bear species guide. Protecting the last bears of the high plateaus depends on remote, partner-funded fieldwork — something you can quietly support via our donate page.
Read the full Himalayan brown bear wildlife guide for the facts, IUCN status and conservation context — or donate to WARN to help fund the local partners protecting this species.
