World Sloth Bear Day
The 12th October was World Sloth Bear Day. Sloth Bears are endemic to the Indian subcontinent. They are small, measuring about 75 cm at the shoulder, and they are very fond of honey, insects and fruit! And they enjoy a sleepy life (about ten to sixteen hours every day).
But it's not all sweetness for the sloth bear. They are threatened by poaching, habitat loss and conflict with people. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, they could do with a bit of a boost as they probably aren't one of the better known species of bear.
Wildlife SOS have videos of these adorable bears on their You Tube channel - why not share them, like them or subscribe to the channel?
Introducing Wildlife SOS
Wildlife SOS works to protect India’s wild animals in their natural habitats. It also rescues and cares for wildlife who have been orphaned, injured and exploited. It has 2 rescue centres for elephants and 5 for bears, for instance. Wildlife SOS studies and cares for wild bear populations, treating those caught in wildlife-human conflicts or those who have been injured by snares or poachers. Where possible, the bears are released back into the wild.
The video shows the work Wildlife SOS are doing to help these bears including dancing bears, and the difference it is making to them.
Sloth bears were exploited for over 400 years. The Kalandars - a nomadic tribe - began dancing the bears for the emperors and such exploits became cheap entertainment on the roadside for both villagers and tourists. It was agony for the bears - and back in 1996, Wildlife SOS research suggested there were over 1,200 'dancing ' bears in India.
Enter a joint effort: Wildlife SOS had cooperation from Government officials and organisations such as Free the Bears, International Animal Rescue and One Voice, over 620 dancing bears were rescued and rehabilitated. They now enjoy life in bear sanctuaries and will never have to live in pain for human exploitation again.
You can find out all about the bear sanctuaries here and also discover ways to support them.
One of the sloth bears with Wildlife SOS has become the first bear in India and the world to have a prosthetic paw! Vasi, as he is known, has discovered a new sense of confidence and adventure and he's making the most of the facilities on offer to him, such as a hammock and of course reaching for honey! Wildlife SOS describe this as a groundbreaking collaboration with the Wizard of Paws - are you intrigued who the wizard is? Find out all about it here!
The photo at the top of the page is from Rishu Bhosale, thank you Rishu!
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