Wildlife SOS recently received one more “dancing bear” at the Agra Bear Rescue Centre. The bear named “Moksha†meaning “eternal freedom of the soul†was one of the few bears that had been smuggled out of the country by his owner to avoid surrender to or confiscation by the Indian authorities. But after almost a year of hiding in a foreign country and avoiding returning to his family in India, the owner ultimately decided to return to India with the intention of surrendering his animal.
Wildlife SOS received information through its informers and assisted the U.P. Forest Department led by DFO K.K. Singh to rescue the bear from Lakhimpur Khera in Uttar Pradesh and transported it to the Agra Bear Rescue Centre. Moksha who is about 15 years in age is old and blind. He is suffering from in appetence, internal parasites, malnourishment and fatigue. He is currently under quarantine. He is quiet and mild tempered and is recuperating from his travels and also the harsh conditions in which he lived and danced for over a year. His rope has been removed but his muzzle wound which has turned septic will take some time to heal.
Geeta Seshamani, co founder, Wildlife SOS said “Moksha’s rescue is great news to all of us. We hope that all the bears that were taken to Nepal will one day enjoy the comfort and peace of the Bear Havens we have worked hard to create. We are keeping track of all the other bears that were taken out of India. Some day soon we believe we will have each one of those rescued as well.
