Jul

Orphaned Black Bear Cub Finds New Hope at CBRC, Arunachal Pradesh

Lohit, 9th July, 2024: A four-month-old female Asiatic black bear cub was rescued from Kolortang village in Lohit district by the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Arunachal Pradesh. The cub has been placed under the care of the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) in Pakke Tiger Reserve.

Earlier this week, a resident of Kolortang village was shocked to find an Asiatic Black Bear cub wandering near TB road at Tezu-Hayuliang road. Worried that the mother bear might be nearby, the incident was immediately reported to the Forest Department. However, despite multiple attempts, the team could not locate the mother bear, rousing suspicions that she may have fallen victim to poaching. As the cub was too young to survive on its own in the wild, it was temporarily shifted to the Mini-Zoo-cum-Rescue Centre in Lower Dibang Valley. On 9th July, the bear was handed over to the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) team by Dr. Kabuk Lego, Range Forest Officer of the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary. Satyaprakash Singh, IFS, DFO, Pakke Tiger Reserve, said, “The cub is active and currently under close observation. At CBRC, the bear will receive essential care and nurturing until it is prepared to return to the wild.”

Rescued Asiatic Black Bear cub at CBRC Arunachal Pradesh | Photograph by Subhashish Arandhara/WTI

The Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) located in Pakke Tiger Reserve is jointly run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Department of Environment and Forest Arunachal Pradesh. The project is supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited (KEPL). It is the only facility in India, dedicated to hand-raising and rehabilitating orphaned bear cubs. To date, over 60 bear cubs have been successfully rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.

Dr. Panjit Basumatary, Manager & Head, CBRC, said, “Bear cubs spend between two and three years under the close supervision of their mothers, learn vital survival skills. At CBRC, we adopt a similar process through rehabilitation, which includes hand-raising, acclimatisation and weaning alongside regular walks in the forest with experienced animal keepers, to help them adapt to their surroundings. Ultimately, our goal is to reintroduce these cubs into the wild, giving them a second chance at life in their natural habitat.”

The Asiatic black bear is categorised as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. However, it faces numerous challenges, including shrinking habitats due to logging, agriculture expansion, roadway networks, and dams. The primary threat has been poaching, particularly in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Bear meat, bile and claws hold a huge commercial value in the illegal wildlife trade market. Young cubs are often orphaned due to hunting or poaching of the mother and are either picked up to be sold or kept at home as pets.