dred

red or snow bear, ursus isabellinus, ursus artcos [JV]

large bear like grizzly [IW]

hyena; stubborn, insensitive, idiotic, savage. Syn dred mo stubborn, insensitive, idiotic, savage [RY]

Ursus arctos isabellinus: Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan red bear, Isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh. A subspecies of the brown bear which is known to live in northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, western China, Tibet and Nepal. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft) long while females are a little smaller. These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter. Although present in a number of protected areas, they are becoming increasingly rare because of loss of suitable habitat and hunting by humans, and have become "critically endangered." This species of bear, as the Dzu-Teh, Dred or Dred mong, is thought by some to be the source of the legend of the Yeti or Abominable Snowman; and in Tibet is the source of many frightening and humorous stories. It is distinguished from dom, (Ursus thibetanus, previously known as Selenarctos thibetanus), the black bear, Asian black bear, moon bear, or white-chest bear. [Erick Tsiknopoulos]