23 June 2021, Pakke Tiger Reserve: When two newborn female bear cubs were handed over to Dr. Panjit Basumatary on 12^th February, 2021, it was love at first sight. Their eyes hadn’t yet opened but their warm soft bodies instinctively cuddled into the palms of the veterinarian. Barely a week old, these bear cubs were found by local residents in the wilderness of Wanu Community Reserve, in the Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh. The mother was nowhere near and these cubs were found alone.

Pic Courtesy: Panjit Basumantary

Tiny enough to remain unseen, it was their soft cries that had drawn some women to the cubs. They picked up the babies, setting aside the fuel wood they were collecting, and informed the forest department without delay. The team from the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) was called upon and this was the start of yet another hand raising and rehabilitation.

Pic Courtesy: Aftab Ahmed

For Dr Panjit, cubs as young as these “bring both joy and fear”. As a wildlife veterinarian with WTI, he has been handling and raising young animals for more than 10 years now but every individual case is a new challenge. The level of attention you need to give will determine the life and death of the cub. There cannot be any mistake. “It’s the joy of holding a baby in your hands but truth be told – it’s not yours to keep as we work to release them back to the wild”.

Pic Courtesy: Aftab-Ahmed

“While our team is adept at hand raising by strictly sticking to approved protocols, there’s always a sense of fear of losing them”, says Dr. Panjit. The team at CBRC consists of biologists and keepers who have dedicated their life to orphaned bears like these two. In the past five months, the two female cubs who the team calls Rama and Anushka, have grown up to be full of energy, playfully running, around, chasing insects and gnawing on sticks. There’s a sense of satisfaction in Dr. Panjit’s eyes, as this is by far the youngest pair of animals he has hand raised and is rehabilitating.

Pic Courtesy: Panjit Basumantary

From February to June, five bear cubs had been admitted for rehabilitation at CBRC. The third bear cub to be admitted, called Gueng by the keepers, is undergoing treatment for a fractured leg (tibia). Her mother too was nowhere to be found when forest department staff found this 2 month old cub alone and limping and brought her to CBRC on 1^st May, 2021.

Pic Courtesy: Madhumay Mallik

Two other orphans, a male and female – both about 3 months old were found stranded in Roing, far eastern corner of Arunachal Pradesh on 14^th June, 2021 near a river and without a mother in sight. Now named Kala and Kalee, they have also been brought in at WTI’s bear rehabilitation center in Seijosa, Pakke.

Displaced and orphaned bear cubs at CBRC are hand raised, weaned and walked under supervision of an animal keeper until they are acclimatized to the wild. When the time comes, a suitable site will be chosen to release them back to the wild.

Pic Courtesy : Panjit Basumantary

Partnered by IFAW and established in 2005 under WTI’s MOU with the state Forest Department the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation has sent 43 bears back to the wild in Arunachal Pradesh since inception. It specializes in bear rescue and rehabilitation, ensuring the appropriate quality of care for orphaned and displaced cubs. This however wouldn’t have been possible without the support of KEPL (Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited) and other individual donors who share our vision of a secure natural heritage for our country.

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