Wildlife Traders caught with live Sloth Bear Cubs in the Indian Holy City of Varanasi
Wildlife S.O.S and Uttar Pradesh Forest Depatment rescued two 5-6 month old Sloth Bear cubs from the cruel hands of two wildlife traders in a joint seizure done in the late hours of 6th May, 2007. The Bear cubs are being taken to the Wildlife S.O.S-managed Agra Bear Rescue Facility, also known as the "Centre for Conservation and Rehabilitation of Sloth Bears"
Tweet-- Following the trail of a Bear cub seized in the heart of Delhi from the Shadipur Depot area in September 2006, a joint seizure operation was conducted in the late hours of Sunday 6th May, 2007 by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department with assistance from Wildlife SOS and One Voice Association, France. The undercover seizure operation resulted in the arrest of two traders who were in possession of two baby sloth bears aged 5 to 6 months old. They had hidden the cubs in a remote location in the Mughal Sarai district near the holy city of Varanasi. The 2 persons belonging to the "Kalandar" community, named Ithwar and Jumman have been sent to Varanasi Jail.
The raiding team was spearheaded by Mr. Ramesh Chandra Mishra, IFS, Conservator of Forests - Wildlife, Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Alok Shrivastav, IFS, DFO, Mr. G.P Singh, SDO accompanied by Range officers. The intelligence and coordination was done by "Forestwatch!" – the wildlife crime intelligence unit of Wildlife S.O.S.
According to Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder, Wildlife S.O.S "The Intelligence gathering & investigation that lead to this seizure was initiated from an earlier raid done in late 2006 at Kathputli Colony in Shadipur Depot at Delhi which led to the seizure of one female bear cub".
Ramesh Chandra Mishra, Conservator Wildlife said, "The accused have been sent to Varanasi jail. He further added, "During initial interrogations, the accused confessed that the cubs were procured from Mubarakpur Forests in the Kashi Wildlife Division of Uttar Pradesh. Further investigations are on to unearth the trade routes of these cubs".
Bear cubs are purchased by members of the Kalandar community for use as Dancing Bears and trained by using brutally and cruel techniques such as thrusting a red hot needle through their muzzle to insert a coarse rope through it to make them dance and entertain tourists.
The two rescued baby bears shall be shifted to the 160 acre Agra Bear Rescue Facility, the only facility of its kind in the world for rescued Sloth Bears. The Center is managed by Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. Various international groups such as IAR- UK, FTB – Australia support the Bear Rescue & Kalandar Rehab Programs of Wildlife SOS.
Wildlife SOS (WSOS) runs four Bear Rescue Centers in India to bring an end to the cruel practice of Dancing Bears. Members of the Kalandar community are encouraged by Wildlife SOS to take up alternative livelihoods as a sustainable measure of community rehabilitation.
Notes to Editor
Wildlife SOS is an Indian Non-Governmental organisation working in the field of Wildlife rescue and Rehabilitation since 1995. Our main project is the rescue and rehabilitation of 'dancing bears', which are Indian Sloth Bears exploited by a gypsy tribe, called Kalandars for street entertainment purposes. We run the World's largest Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for Sloth Bears in Agra alongwith 3 other centres. Working in tandemn with the government law enforcement agencies, including state forest departments, Wildlife SOS has rescued over 370 Slothbears from leading miserable lives with Kalandars and with the recent extension to our rescue centre in Agra, we hope to eradicate the profession of 'bear dancing' by rescuing the remaining around 600 bears off the Indian streets and rehabilitating the bear dancers as well, so that they and their generations to comedon't revert to 'dancing or poaching bears' ever again. Join hands with us in giving both man and animal a life of Dignity and Freedom!!! For more, visit our website, www.wildlifesos.org, our blog, http://wildlifesos-india.blogspot.comor e-mail at vasudha@wildlifesos.org