Bannerghatta Sloth Bear Rescue Center

Source: The Hindu
GS III: Environment and Conservation

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre
3. About Sloth Bear
4. Kalandar communities

Why in the News?

The sloth bear rescue centre at Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), what’s touted as the second largest sloth bear rescue centre in the world, has completed 18 years.

News in Brief

• The a need for awareness about sloth bear conservation, special focus has been placed on outreach programmes that include engagement with people.
• Participants and visitors who choose to volunteer directly contribute their time toward the rescue bears’ care and well-being.
• Its organic evolution into a sustainable haven for both bears and humans.
• Solar panels, an organic green kitchen with minimal carbon emissions, and a commitment to energy efficiency benefit our environment and significantly reduce our operational costs.

About Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre

Need for protection

• To combat the widespread and cruel practice of making bears dance, Wildlife SOS recognized the urgent need to establish a rescue centre for sloth bears in captivity as part of its mission to conserve and rehabilitate them.
• The organization also aimed to ensure the rehabilitation of the Kalandars, a community in India that traditionally engaged in bear-dancing.
• With this specific objective in mind, the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre (BBRC) was established.
• Established through an agreement with the Karnataka Forest Department and the Zoo Authority of Karnataka, officially signed on November 28, 2005.

The approach of the rescue centre

• BBRC has played a crucial role in rescuing and providing long-term care for over a hundred sloth bears.
• These bears were saved from the bear-dancing trade, poaching, poorly maintained zoos, and human-bear conflict situations.
• To provide better facilities for the rescued bears, BBRC has constructed additional retiring dens and carried out essential renovations to existing ones.
• Currently, more than 60 rescued bears are accommodated in the scenic environment of the dry-deciduous Bannerghatta Biological Park.
• This makes BBRC the world’s second-largest rescue centre for sloth bears.
• BBRC serves as a sanctuary where bears can spend the remainder of their lives free from the trauma and abuse of dancing on the streets.
• BBRC is equipped with a well-appointed veterinary clinic staffed by experienced veterinary doctors.

The Wildlife SOS Bear Rescue Project and Kalandar Rehabilitation Programme receive support from international partners such as International Animal Rescue-UK, One Voice Association-France, and Humane Society International-Australia.

About Sloth Bear

• The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a species of bear native to the Indian subcontinent.
• Sloth bears play a significant role in the ecosystems they inhabit, particularly in controlling termite and ant populations.
• Conservation efforts are crucial to ensure the survival of these unique bears and their habitats.

Key characteristics and information about sloth bears

Appearance

• Sloth bears have a shaggy coat that is typically black, though some individuals may have a brownish or greyish tinge.
• They have a distinctive white V-shaped mark on their chest, and some individuals may have a whitish facial pattern.
• Sloth bears have a long, shaggy mane of hair around their face and neck.

Size

• Adult sloth bears are medium to large in size. They can weigh between 120 to 310 pounds (55 to 140 kilograms).
• They have a stocky build and relatively short legs.

Behaviour

• Sloth bears are primarily nocturnal, being more active during the night.
• They are known for their unique way of feeding. They use their long, curved claws to break open termite mounds and ant nests, and they use their lips to create a vacuum, sucking up insects.
• Unlike other bear species, sloth bears are good climbers and are also capable swimmers.

Habitat

• Sloth bears are found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, dry and mixed forests, and scrublands.
• They are primarily found in the Indian subcontinent, including countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

Conservation Status

• Sloth bears are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
• Threats to sloth bears include habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.

Conservation Efforts

• • Conservation efforts focus on protecting their natural habitats, addressing human-wildlife conflict, and combating poaching.
  • Creating awareness about the importance of sloth bears in maintaining the ecological balance is also a part of conservation initiatives.

Kalandar communities

• Kalandar communities originally gypsy communities with a highly nomadic lifestyle were famous for their mastery over animals.
• 3,500 families spread out through six states and over 15 villages.
• Location of the tribes spread over Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.
• The government’s rehabilitation of the Kalandar communities through education and an alternative livelihood program as an extension of the dancing bear rescue project.
• By empowering them to earn incomes through dignified and legal means and improving their living standards, providing them a life of quality.

Dancing Bear

• A nomadic tribe known as the Kalandars would ‘dance’ the bears for the emperors during the Mughal era.
• Then, over the centuries, as the kingdoms in India disappeared, the dancing bears became cheap roadside entertainment for villagers and tourists
• They will pay to watch them perform.
• In reality, the bears were reacting to excruciating pain.
• The practice of dancing bears was made illegal in India in 1972.

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