Khari Pong, Arunachal Pradesh: For the first time in India , two female Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) were released to the wild after undergoing rehabilitation for more than two years at the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) at Pakke in the north eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Lucky and Leela were three months old when they were rescued by staff of the forest department in Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary. After a short stay at the Itanagar Zoo, the two bears have since then been living at the centre under the watchful eyes of a team of experts, comprising Russian and American bear rehabilitation experts (Valentin Pazetnov and Curt Clumper) and veterinarians from the Wildlife Trust of India, represented by IFAW in India.

CBRC was set up by IFAW in India in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India and the Arunachal Pradesh State Forest Department.

The framework on Asiatic black bear rehabilitation followed at CBRC emphasizes that the bears be sufficiently acclimatized to natural habitat and human contact is minimized to avoid imprinting and behavioral abnormalities. The framework also specifies that they be given at least three to four months of opportunity in the pre-release enclosure to exhibit natural behavior.

Dr. NVK Ashraf, Deputy Director of the Wild Rescue programme of the Wildlife Trust of India described the operation, ”both bears were tranquilized from the pre-release orientation area at CBRC, weighed, radio collared, micro-chipped and were taken separately to Khari Pong which is 16 km from the centre in two Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) vehicles.”

“The bears were released into the in-situ cage by mid-day. The entire operation, which began at 9 in the morning, took three hours,” added Ashraf.

Both bears were released after two days of captivity in in-situ enclosures. They are being monitored each day by Dr. Naim Akhtar who has been specifically stationed to do that.

While Lucky has moved as far as 700 meters away from the site of release, Leela remains in and around the site of release. “Aimless wandering is typical of all animals released into newer areas to which they are not used to. They are expected to settle down and determine their own home ranges soon,” observes Ashraf.

About CBRC:

The Centre is situated on the banks of the river Pakke amidst 800 sq. km of lush green tropical semi-evergreen forests– a perfect dwelling place for the bear cubs. At any given time of the year it can hold a minimum of 16 bears in different stages of rehabilitation.

Arunachal Pradesh has a tribal population, which primarily depend on forest resources for their livelihood, spread across 11 districts. Some of the inhabitants of the state believe in hunting notwithstanding enforcement of wildlife laws. These tribes not only hunt for smaller animals but they also hunt down Asiatic black bears.

Asiatic black bears are killed by hunters throughout Arunachal Pradesh and many a time hunters catch bear cubs alive if the mother gets shot or abandons her cubs. All these cubs were ultimately brought to captivity by the Forest department and were traditionally put into lifetime care centre such as the Itanagar Zoo, prior to the establishment of CBRC at Pakke.

Over the years the bear population in India has drastically reduced. Their declining numbers points to the fact that their habitats are increasingly used for human habitations and other commercial purposes. These have put tremendous pressure on the fragile eco-system and have threatened their food security.

Pre-release orientation area (PROA) at CBRC where the bears are housed has a rich vegetation of plant varieties. The area is sealed with a power fence to prevent these bears getting out and also to prevent tigers and leopards getting in. The PROA also serves as an experimental site for the scientists to study their activity pattern, behavior and enclosure utilization in order to assess their suitability for release.

Fruits collected from wild trees, such as Dillenia indica, Syzigium cumini, Garuga pinnate, Emblica officinalis, Ficus pomifera, F. scandens, Eugenia malacanise and Mussa spp. have been fed to the bears during the last two years. This was supplemented with cultivated varieties, such as Zea mays, Cariya papaya, Ananas comosus, Mangifera indica, and Arachis hypogaea to sustain the bears for a longer period of time.

Pic: Idris Ahmed/IFAW-WTI