Interactions between U. thibetanus and anthropogenic disturbance were estimated using recent field data of the species' occurrence across northern Pakistan. This area was selected because of long-term reports of the species in the Pir-Chinasi and Pir-Hasimar mountains, Kashmir Himalaya, Pakistan (73.48°–73.72° E, 34.22°–34.40° N). The region is part of theWestern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with a subtropical highland climate (Awan, 2014), represented by sub-tropical Chir pine forest, mixed coniferous forests, and sub-alpine/alpine pastures.Human populations in the area depend on subsistence agriculture and livestock. Human–wildlife conflicts in the area are frequent in light of an abundance of bears and close ties that the native people have to the land (Awan, 2014). Field observations allowed us to estimate a proxy of the level of anthropogenic disturbance that U. thibetanus can withstand, as follows. First, we searched for U. thibetanus tracks in the field between June–September 2012 (Fig. 2). The study area was divided into 17 grids (5 × 5 km) and 10 points were randomly established within a 50 m radius each to generate a survey plot (Awan, 2014). In
total, we established 170 survey plots, and each plot was visited once for evidence of U. thibetanus, including footprints, marks on trees, feces, or feeding platforms (Fig. 2).