East Kameng: A thoughtful move by a young engineer helped save two Asiatic black bear cubs from an illegal bear merchant in Arunachal Pradesh. Bimal Wally, who works at the Public Health Department in Seppa handed them to the Forest Department which he had rescued in ‘Bana’ in the East Kameng district on April 01 with the intention of setting them free.

Of the three cubs he rescued, one died enroute to Seppa 35 kms. from the market. Each of the two cubs is about a month old is now being rehabilitated at the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Care (CBRC) in Pakke. CBRC is a joint initiative of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Forest Department with support from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

On the advice of the Divisional Forest Officer (Pakke Tiger Reserve) Tana Tapi about the rescued cubs in Seppa, the Asst. Field Officer of WTI Bengia Chongpi  along with other staff of the CBRC visited Wally at his house on April 06 to bring back the cubs to the centre.

The cubs were picked up by the villagers from a cave adjoining the Bana forest reserve and were up for sale. Allegedly, live bear and bear parts are sold clandestinely in the markets despite the ban on the trade of endangered species. Bears are hunted as a trophy and for its bile which is considered to have medicinal properties. Other wild species are also reportedly sold in these markets for consumption which also included endangered species.

Murali Pai of WTI said, “The bears are being bottle fed with reconstituted infant milk formula. These two have now joined five other older bears at the centre.”

The fate of Asiatic black bears is uncertain due to its continued illegal hunting in the state. People’s participation would be valuable for long-term conservation and in addition, innovative measures by the government can alone ensure the survival of the species in the wild.