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Sloth Bears Going Back to the WildKalandar Tribe in India Ending Centuries of Bear DancingDancing bears turned in by Kalandar tribespeople now in rehabilitation for return to the wild. Wildlife organizations provide alternative job training for former owners.
The Kalandar (or Qalandar) tribespeople of Indian have been training dancing bears since the 13th century, when their animals performed for the emperors of India. But times are changing for both the bears and the Kalandars as wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups help the Kalandar learn new job skills and provide basic education for their children. Some of the bears are being taught life skills as well, with the hope that they will be returned to the wild. Sloth Bear ThreatsSloth bears ( Melursus ursinus) are not only taken for dancing, they are one of the species commonly harvested for bile for the Traditional Chinese Medicine trade. And, as with many species, they face habitat destruction and loss. This combination of threats puts them on the IUCN red list as Vulnerable and CITES Appendix 1. It wasn’t until 1998 that bear dancing was specifically prohibited. Then in 2005, bear dancing licenses were revoked, allowing the government to seize bears that are not voluntarily turned in. Kalandar Training ProgramsIn exchange for turning in their bears, the Kalandar tribespeople are receiving support for this major change in their lives. In addition to getting equipment and training for new jobs such as chicken farming, weaving and auto rickshaws for taxi service, basic education is being provided for their children. Bear Rehabilitation ProjectMany of the sloth bears that are turned in will need to remain in captivity due to health and behavioral problems. Sanctuaries have been set up for them. But cubs that have not been in captivity for long periods of time and are in reasonable health may be reintroduced to the wild through an innovative program in Bihar. A joint project of the Wildlife Trust of India(WTI), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)and the Bihar Forest Department based on work done by WTI with Asiatic black bears in Arunachal Pradesh, the idea is to teach the bears basic foraging and survival skills. And it is working. It is getting harder for the handlers to convince the cubs to return to the protected area at night. The next step will be a ‘soft release’. This is a process whereby the animals are moved to the area where they will eventually be let go. They are kept in a protected portion of that area and provided with supplemental food until it is determined that they are capable of feeding themselves. The bear cubs will be wearing radio collars when they are released so that they can be tracked for several months, ensuring that they are doing well and finding out where they will disperse to. Post release monitoring has become an important tool for wildlife rehabilitation both for tracking the condition and development of the individual animals and for learning about habitat requirements and usage. This information helps plan for appropriate protected areas for the animals. Because of the impact that wildlife conservation often has on local peoples’ livelihoods, programs similar to the one developed for the Kalandars will become a more common part of preservation and protection programs.
The copyright of the article Sloth Bears Going Back to the Wild in Wildlife Rescue & Rehab is owned by Dawn M. Smith. Permission to republish Sloth Bears Going Back to the Wild in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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