ITANAGAR, 12 Jul: A four-month-old female Asiatic black bear cub that was rescued from Kolortang village in Lohit district by the state’s environment, forest & climate change department is doing well.
The cub is under the care of the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation & Conservation (CBRC) in the Pakke Tiger Reserve.
As the cub is too young to survive on its own in the wild, it was temporarily shifted to the mini-zoo-cum-rescue centre in Lower Dibang Valley district, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) informed in a release.
On 9 July, the bear cub was handed over to a CBRC team by Dr Sorang Tadap, veterinarian at the Itanagar Zoological Park, the release stated.
Pakke Tiger Reserve DFO Satyaprakash Singh said,”The cub is active and currently under close observation. At the CBRC, the bear will receive essential care and nurturing until it is prepared to return to the wild.”
CBRC Head Dr Panjit Basumatary said, “Bear cubs spend between two and three years under the close supervision of their mothers, and learn vital survival skills. We adopt a similar process at the CBRC through rehabilitation, which includes hand-raising, acclimatisation and weaning, alongside regular walks in the forest with experienced animal keepers, to help them adapt to their surroundings.
“Ultimately, our goal is to reintroduce these cubs into the wild, giving them a second chance at life in their natural habitat,” he said.
The Asiatic black bear is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
“However, it faces numerous challenges, including shrinking habitats due to logging, agriculture expansion, roadway networks, and dams. The primary threat has been poaching, particularly in Arunachal. Bear meat, bile and claws hold a huge commercial value in the illegal wildlife trade market. Young cubs are often orphaned due to hunting or poaching of the mother, and are either picked up to be sold or kept at home as pets,” the WTI said.
The CBRC is jointly run by the WTI and the state’s environment & forest department. The project is supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited.
The CBRC is the only facility in India dedicated to hand-raising and rehabilitating orphaned bear cubs. To date, over 60 bear cubs have been successfully rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.
