The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) team at the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) in Pakke Tiger Reserve is currently rehabilitating five young Asiatic black bear cubs. These cubs are the most recent additions to the centre, which was established in 2002 with the aim of rehabilitating displaced cubs and returning them to the wild.
The cubs have been rescued from different regions of Arunachal Pradesh and are now under specialised care at the CBRC, which is jointly managed by the WTI, the state Environment and Forest Department, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
These bears are vulnerable to poaching due to the perceived medicinal value of their body parts and their meat. Listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Asiatic black bear faces several threats, including hunting and habitat destruction.
WTI states that “young cubs are orphaned due to hunting; these cubs are either picked up to be sold or kept as pets. A number of these bear cubs reach the hands of the Forest Department annually – either confiscated from hunters or surrendered by locals when the cubs become unmanageable.”
This statement underscores the urgent need for immediate intervention to stop both hunting and habitat destruction. As a Schedule I species, the Asiatic black bear is protected by law, and harming or trading it is a punishable offence under Section 49 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Yet, such provisions seem ineffective in deterring hunting and habitat loss.
The CBRC can only do so much. Unless there is a concerted effort towards conservation, more bear cubs will be orphaned, and the species will continue to decline.