Pensioners’ paradise for dancing bears

All the males within a 77-acre radius had been castrated. Hence, nobody knew the identity of the one who had impregnated her. “It must’ve been a male who jumped the wall in the dead of night,” said one of the doctors.

In January 2018, she gave birth; it was her firstborn. Everybody was ecstatic. However, on the third day, the mood turned sombre. The mother had sat on the newborn and smothered her to death. It was an accident.

Because the mother, an Indian sloth bear, never learnt how to be a mama bear. She only knew how to be a ‘dancing bear’.

For centuries, sloth bear cubs were kidnapped from the forest, separated from the mother and turned into ‘dancing bears’ by members of the Kalandar community, a nomadic and impoverished tribe. The bears were their only meal ticket.

They ‘tamed’ the wild creatures using cruel methods. A hot iron poker would be pierced through the soft muzzle of the cubs, and a rope strung through the open wound. So, every time the ‘master’ tugged at the rope, the bear would jump in pain. This was how they became the ‘dancing bears’ entertaining the masses. The bears also had their canines knocked off with a hammer or stone to prevent them from attacking their masters. Needless to say, the animals led painful lives.

Though dancing bears were made illegal in India when the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into effect, it wasn’t until the end of 2002 that they were rescued and sent to rehabilitation centres. The first six rescued animals went to live at the Wildlife SOS Agra Bear Rescue Facility, a non-profit organisation. Over the years, around 600 dancing bears have been rescued. In 2009, the last dancing bear in India, Raja, was rescued and he came to live at the Wildlife SOS Sloth Bear Rehabilitation Centre — commonly called “bear retirement home” — at the Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru.

However, the threat to the 5,000 sloth bears in the wild has not abated. These days they are poached for their gallbladder and bile, which are smuggled to China for use in traditional medicines for liver and heart diseases. Each part sells for a whopping $3,000 in the Asian market. Additionally, the sloth bears are threatened by the destruction of their habitat, forest fires and exploitation of natural resources.

The wild within walls

A five-kilometre ride from the main gate of the Bannerghatta Biological Park takes you to what is known as “wild within walls”, the retirement home for rescued sloth bears. Here, they are rehabilitated and cared for till the end. “They can never be released back into the wild because these bears do not know how to live in and navigate the forest. They are susceptible to danger,” says Dr Govind, a veterinarian at the centre.

Started in 2005, the Bannerghatta bear rescue centre is a  collaboration with the Forest Department & Bannerghatta National Park.

Spread over 77 acres of forestland, it currently houses 76 bears in five enclosures that are called ‘Jambhava’, ‘Chitrakuta’, ‘Panchavati’, ‘Kishkinda’ and ‘Dr GKV Block’. Besides rescued dancing bears, there are others saved from poachers or man-animal conflict situations. Each enclosure has a feeding area and a vast playing field in the park’s dry-deciduous forests. Here the bears have trees to climb, insect mounds to dig, ropes to swing, hammocks to snooze in and ‘honey logs’ to roll. The keepers also build “suspended enrichment-structures” in the enclosures and hide in them treats like fruits, dates, groundnut, maize and honey. The bears spend hours foraging for these treats and, in the process, learn skills that they would otherwise have picked up in the natural environment from which they were snatched.

Extended holiday: Each enclosure has a play area where the bears have trees to climb, insect mounds to dig, ropes to swing, hammocks to snooze in and ‘honey logs’ to roll

An adult sloth bear weighs 100-120 kg. The average weight at the retirement centre is 100 kg. That means none of the hammocks or wooden structures or ‘bear’ toys last beyond a few weeks. “There is a constant demand for volunteers to help us rebuild these on a regular basis,” says Sandhi Priya, resource mobilisation and volunteer coordinator.

The good life

At the Jambhava enclosure, adjacent to the main office, two cubs loiter into the small extension of the main enclosure to swing in a hammock. Have you ever seen bear cubs trying to climb into a hammock? It is a laugh riot. Soon, one of them tires of the game and begins to fine-toothcomb the place for treats. A couple of friends join in, and it is party time.

Bears have always been synonymous with huggable Teddys — cuddlesome creatures. In reality, however, they are anything but cuddly. These shaggy, wild beings are very much like humans in their temperament. They can kiss and brawl with equal intensity. They forge strong bonds and are territorial when it comes to relationships. There is an innate intelligence that shines through.

When happy, bears make a distinct sound that resembles a low-decibel generator noise. This “happy sound” is heard aplenty at the centre. This is how they would’ve been in the wild. Just that they wouldn’t be missing their canines or have a gaping hole in their muzzle or, sometimes, blindness in the eye. These are the cruel signatures that they will carry till the end of their lives. This retirement home is a symbol of hope and redemption in more ways than one. Some of the keepers at the centre are rehabilitated members of the Kalandar community who surrendered their dancing bears to the government.

Rescued bears take some time to recover, both physically and emotionally. Kasthuri was only six months old when she was rescued from a Kalandar settlement in 2007. In that short span of her life, she had already been subjected to immense abuse. When she came to the retirement home, she was missing some teeth, and her mutilated muzzle told painful tales. She had a deep distrust of humans. The patient team of veterinarians and other staff at the centre gradually helped her overcome her trauma. It took her a while to accept the comforting presence of her keeper Hussain Basha. Today, she is seven years old, and a far cry from her previous self. A foodie with a penchant for honey, watermelon and dates, she spends her waking hours with Vimal and Kashi, her two closest companions.

Juicy treat: Around 145 kg of fruits are consumed every day, with watermelon being a favourite

The bears at the centre are fed twice a day — at 10 am and 4 pm. And they know it too. You’ll find them assembled near the feeding area well before time. Jowar and ragi porridge with vegetables, soya, eggs, milk and honey are on the menu. Daily vitamin supplements are added, too, since most of the residents have delicate health from their malnourished past. Around 145 kg of fruits are consumed each day.

Not too hot, not too cold: Porridge for the bears is made twice a day at the park’s eco-friendly kitchen

The bears undergo regular health check-ups at the centre’s modern medical facility. “Due to the care provided, these bears tend to live longer than their counterparts in the wild, who live up to 15-20 years,” says Dr Govind. At the retirement home, Amrita at 27 is the Grand Dame. The youngest, Shama and Shari, are just a few months old. Bobby, the tallest at more than 6’ on two feet, is also the friendliest. But it is Hamsi who is Ms Sunshine — her constant ‘happy sound’ is like the background score in this happily-ever-after home.

( For more information or to sponsor a rescued bear check wildlifesos.org )

Sudha Pillai is a Bengaluru-based writer

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