Pakke (Arunachal Pradesh): Two orphan Asiatic black bear cubs being rehabilitated in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, were radio-collared on Wednesday morning by a team of Forest Department officials and International Fund for Animal Welfare–Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) staff members.

The cubs, now at a critical transitional phase from being cared for by humans to being completely wild, will be remotely-monitored by the rehabilitators. Their monitoring will be continued as long as the collars remain on the cubs.

“We have been able to rehabilitate seven bears successfully in the past. Hopefully, the future of these bears will be good too. We thank IFAW-WTI for choosing Pakke as the site to rehabilitate these bear cubs,” said Tana Tapi, Divisional Forest Officer, Pakke.

Three cubs, including the two radio-collared on Wednesday, were hand-raised at the IFAW-WTI run Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC), and were relocated to Doigurung area of Pakke TR in mid-2009 for in situ acclimatisation. Accompanied by trained animal keepers, they were taken for daily walks in the wilderness to help them develop survival skills.

“Under natural conditions, bear cubs are fed and looked after by the mother bear. When they reach a certain age, they start following their mother as she forages in the wild, and learn necessary survival skills during these walks. The rehabilitation protocol we follow simulates this natural growth process, with a caretaker playing the role of their mother. He looks after them, ensures their safety, takes them for walks, and helps them become independent,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Chief Veterinarian, WTI. “It’s a long term process, with rehabilitation of every batch of bear cubs taking about a year of care. Yet, successful return of these cubs to the wild is an overwhelming reward for these efforts.”

Ten orphaned Asiatic black bear cubs have earlier been released in the wild in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam by IFAW-WTI in collaboration with the respective state Forest Departments.

Four additional bear cubs are currently being hand-raised by IFAW-WTI in CBRC, while another cub is at the IFAW-WTI run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The cub in CWRC will soon be relocated to CBRC for hand-raising and rehabilitation along with the four cubs. Like all their predecessors, these cubs will soon begin their long journey to freedom in the release site that is yet to be selected.

Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is listed in Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and is classified ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Poaching for body parts predominantly bile, and habitat degradation are among the major threats to these bears. CBRC was established in 2002 to provide Asiatic black bear cubs – displaced due to poaching or otherwise – an opportunity to return to the wild.

Learn more about Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation