(IN) India's dancing bear saga a closed chapter now

[Guest guest]

Congratulations to all involved. Huge step forward, for the bears and also

their owners. http://news./s/nm/20091221/india_nm/india448869 India's

last " dancing " , endangered bear set freeReuters – An Asiatic black bear

walks inside its enclosure in Dachigam national park on the outskirts of

Srinagar …

By Sunil Kataria Sunil Kataria – 1 hr 20 mins ago

 

BANGALORE (Reuters Life!) – Raju the bear will never have to smoke

cigarettes or dance on his hind legs under the hot sun again thanks to a

multinational project to save an endangered species and end a cruel

centuries-old tradition in India.

 

Raju was the last endangered sloth bear that had to work for a living, but

who now can roam free at the Bannerghatta bear sanctuary on the outskirts of

the southern city of Bangalore.

 

The bear's freedom is the outcome of lengthy efforts by animal rescue

organisations and the government that have taken the " dancing " bears off

India's streets, where the animals were once as ubiquitous as snake charmers

and their cobras.

 

" This is the very last bear that has been rescued from the roads of India,

the actual last one and that is the end of the trade, " Mary Hutton,

Australia-based chairperson and founder of Free the Bears Fund, told Reuters

Television.

 

Sloth bears are protected under the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species, but they often entertained crowds by playing imaginary

guitars, smoking cigarettes and dancing to the pounding of drums, providing

an income for their handlers.

 

The Bannerghatta bear rescue centre is one of the four that have been set up

by India-based Wildlife SOS, Free the Bears Fund from Australia,

Britain's International

Animal Rescue and One Voice Association from France.

 

The animal welfare groups devised a holistic approach that involved setting

up sanctuaries for the freed bears and giving rehabilitation packages for

their handlers so that they have an incentive to give up the animals.

 

Raje Saab, Raju's handler, said he was looking forward to starting a new job

with the money he has been given.

 

" I am happy that it is going to stay here, it will be looked after properly

and will get proper food and care, " said Saab of his bear, adding that he

would probably start a small business with the 50,000 rupees ($1,069) given

to him.

 

Once inside the sanctuary, the bears get special veterinary care to heal

their multiple wounds and are quarantined for about 90 days before being

allowed to socialise.

 

They are fed healthy food and gradually adjust to living in their large,

forested enclosure, although they can never be returned to the wild because

many lack basic survival techniques, as well as teeth and claws.

 

Activists say rampant poaching by an ancient tribe of gypsies known as

Kalandars, who used the animals for their shows, had brought the sloth

bearsto the verge of extinction.

 

They say the Kalandars used to poach sloth bear cubs and then force them

into submission by wrenching our their teeth and forcing a needle through

their muzzle.

 

Wildlife SOS co-founder Geeta Seshmani said the Kalandars used to train the

bears by putting them in a pan over a fire. They often castrated the bears

to make them less aggressive.

 

As a result, many bears died, prompting more poaching, she said, and

poaching still remains a pertinent threat.

 

" The most challenging part before us is to get the bears to be looked after

at these sanctuaries, " Seshmani said.

 

" Our anti-poaching unit works very hard and, because of the demand from

South East Asia, there will always be demand for the bear cubs, " she said,

referring to countries were bear body parts are believed to have medicinal

properties.

 

" There is still bear-bone soup and there is cold-blooded trade in countries

outside India. And it will be our task to ensure that our cubs are not

stolen from our forests and our wild bears are not stolen from our forests. "

 

 

Seshmani said wildlife groups, with help from the police and other

departments, have reduced poaching to a large extent. Overall, the programme

has saved 600 sloth bears so far.

 

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

[Guest guest]

This is a classic example of what a small committed group can achieve.

 

Even five years ago, this would have seemed like a dream to most people and

only confirms what has been my mantra all through life:

 

If it is possible, it has already been done. If it is impossible, it will

be done tomorrow.

 

While saluting Geetha and Kartick and the Wildlife SOS team or this

amazing achievement, we must remember the many supporters and donors who

made this happen. As a total outsider, I know that there must be a whole

bunch of amazing people who made this happen but I know they include the

following:

 

Alan Knight and International Animal Rescue from the UK. One Voice from

France. Free the Bears Foundation from Australia. And literally thousands

of small donors, many of whom gave most generously.

 

As an avid follower of this historical saga, I am aware that others were

also involved: The original funder for getting the project off the ground,

the World Society for the Protection under their Libearty programme; Mrs.

Maneka Gandhi for her critical input at desperate times; the Forest

Department officials of several States; Animal People Newspaper for their

continous support since at least 1997; Philip Wollen for his bolts from

the blue; and at least one other person who, I am sure, served as an

inspiration - Jill Robinson, OBE - Chair of Animals Asia Foundation.

 

As an observer, I am also aware of the several attempts to derail the

project.

The major achievement is that Geetha & Kartick persevered. Let us also

remember that Wildlife SOS is only part of what Geetha does. A full-time

faculty member in a premier University, she also runs Friendicoes. Karthik

was one of the first to come 2000 kms from Delhi to Chennai and hundreds

of kilometers further south in December 2004 to help with the tsunami

rescue work. An ABC programme in the Andamans. Keeping another superb

group, Animal Rescue Kerala from closing its doors in a State which has a

terrible record for animal welfare. .....

 

To the few who have been mentioned by me and the many more who must have

been involved, all I can say is God bless you all.

 

S. Chinny Krishna

[Guest guest]

thank you Chinny - like you, we're all wildly celebrating the end of

dancing bears, but cannot claim a single fraction of the success.

However, our pledge is that bear farming is next - and thanks to you all

out there for your inspiration, support and help in bringing this

particular Christmas wish to fruition.

Well done again to all groups below - a phenomenal success and something

for us all to aspire to.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and more of the same in 2010, Jillx

*

Jill Robinson MBE *

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

Find out about our latest moon bear rescue in Chengdu, China and

Friends....or Food: http://www.animalsasia.org/

Click here <https://www.animalsasia.org/shop/> to visit our great new

Christmas Gift Shop.

 

 

Think before you print

 

 

drkrishna wrote:

>

> This is a classic example of what a small committed group can achieve.

>

> Even five years ago, this would have seemed like a dream to most

> people and

> only confirms what has been my mantra all through life:

>

> If it is possible, it has already been done. If it is impossible, it will

> be done tomorrow.

>

> While saluting Geetha and Kartick and the Wildlife SOS team or this

> amazing achievement, we must remember the many supporters and donors who

> made this happen. As a total outsider, I know that there must be a whole

> bunch of amazing people who made this happen but I know they include the

> following:

>

> Alan Knight and International Animal Rescue from the UK. One Voice from

> France. Free the Bears Foundation from Australia. And literally thousands

> of small donors, many of whom gave most generously.

>

> As an avid follower of this historical saga, I am aware that others were

> also involved: The original funder for getting the project off the ground,

> the World Society for the Protection under their Libearty programme; Mrs.

> Maneka Gandhi for her critical input at desperate times; the Forest

> Department officials of several States; Animal People Newspaper for their

> continous support since at least 1997; Philip Wollen for his bolts from

> the blue; and at least one other person who, I am sure, served as an

> inspiration - Jill Robinson, OBE - Chair of Animals Asia Foundation.

>

> As an observer, I am also aware of the several attempts to derail the

> project.

> The major achievement is that Geetha & Kartick persevered. Let us also

> remember that Wildlife SOS is only part of what Geetha does. A full-time

> faculty member in a premier University, she also runs Friendicoes. Karthik

> was one of the first to come 2000 kms from Delhi to Chennai and hundreds

> of kilometers further south in December 2004 to help with the tsunami

> rescue work. An ABC programme in the Andamans. Keeping another superb

> group, Animal Rescue Kerala from closing its doors in a State which has a

> terrible record for animal welfare. .....

>

> To the few who have been mentioned by me and the many more who must have

> been involved, all I can say is God bless you all.

>

> S. Chinny Krishna

>

>