16 December 2007

Rescue Mission

Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus), Vulnerable

A bear poacher has been arrested in Orissa, India, and a baby Sloth Bear confiscated. The poacher, Jumman Khan, was under surveillance for three weeks, before the presence of the bear cub was confirmed. He was arrested in a bout of 'high drama.' The period from November to February is when the majority of these bears are poached, as this is when cubs are born. Protective mothers are often killed in order to retrieve the cubs. The cub is being held and cared for by Wildlife SOS, an organization committed to the prevention of hunting, poaching, and trading of endangered species.

Donate to Wildlife SOS's Bear Rescue program.

2 comments:

Katie said...

why do they want to catch the babies?

Greg said...

They are used by a nomadic tribe as entertainers. They are treated cruelly and are trained with pain, fear, and torture, including piercing, castration (without anesthetic), starvation, and beating. There are about 800 dancing bears across India. Though illegal, it is difficult to enforce these laws.

Read more about it here.