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Bears

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The Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) can easily be recognized by their shaggy black coat, long muzzle, protruding lip and a distinct white V-shaped patch on the chest. Their diet consists of fruits, berries, flowers, honeycombs, insect larvae and other insects. These bears have a particular proclivity to “vacuum” up termites and ants using their long snout.

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For over 400 years, the Sloth Bear had been a target for human exploitation. A nomadic tribe known as the Kalandars began ‘dancing’ sloth bears for the emperors during the Mughal era. Over centuries, as the kingdoms in India disappeared, the ‘dancing’ bear trade transitioned to become cheap roadside entertainment for villagers and tourists who paid to watch the bears jump in agony.

Mother bears were killed so that poachers could take and sell their cubs in perpetuation of this brutal practice. Through underground trading the cubs as many as 200 annually would end up in the hands of the Kalandars. With no anesthesia, a red hot poker rod would be driven through the muzzle of the baby bear, often at the tender age of six months. A rope would then be strung through the painful piercing, and tugged to induce ‘dancing’ performances on demand; for many bears a life at the end of a rope would be all they would ever know.

As of 1996, our research indicated that there were more than 1200 ‘dancing’ bears scattered throughout the country. With cooperation from Government officials, and the help of our partner organizations International Animal Rescue, One Voice, Free The Bears, and others Wildlife SOS has been able to rescue and rehabilitate over 620 dancing bears. They are now living peacefully in four large natural sanctuaries across India, enjoying a life where they’ll never again have to endure such cruelty and pain.

Sloth Bears

  • The Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus Ursinus) can easily be recognized by his shaggy black coat, long muzzle, protruding lip and by a white V-shaped patch on the chest.
  • Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants and employ a well-evolved method to dig them out.
  • Their long, curved claws are used for penetrating insect mounds, which can be rock-hard.
  • Sloth bears are solitary creatures and generally nocturnal. They grow up to 6 feet in length, and males can weigh up to 310 pounds, while females weigh up to 210 pounds.
  • After a 6-7 month gestation period, Sloth bears normally give birth to a litter of two cubs in an underground den. The cubs will often ride on their mother’s back, a unique trait among bears.
  • Sloth bears are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List. They are threatened by habitat loss, poaching for body parts and are sometimes captured for use in performances or hunted because of their aggressive behavior and destruction of crops.

Sloth Bear General Characteristics

Asiatic Black Bears

  • Asiatic black bears(Ursus thibetenus) are also known as moon bears because of the distinct  ‘crescent moon’ shaped patch on their chest.
  • These bears are about four to six feet tall and owing to their strong claws they can climb trees easily and can swim as well. They make dens in caves and can also sleep in trees.
  • They inhabit mountainous and heavily forested areas across southern and eastern Asia. In India, they can be found throughout the Himalayas from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.
  • These bears are highly intelligent and have a vocabulary of their own as they frequently make clucking sounds while playing and huffing sounds for warning.
  • They are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are also protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
  • Major threats to this species include  habitat loss due to the timber industry and forest fires and encroachment in buffer areas. They are also poached for their body parts, specifically the skin, paws and gall bladder, which is used in traditional medicine.
  • They are most affected by the demand for ‘bear bile’ and are captured and put into farms where they spend their lives confined in cages barely larger than their bodies causing physical and mental suffering.

Asiatic Black Bear General Characteristics

  • Status: Vulnerable 
  • Wild population: approximately 50,000
  • Captive population: over 300
  • Under the care of Wildlife SOS: 6
  • Wildlife SOS sanctuaries with black bears: Dachigam Rescue Centre, Pahalgam Rescue Centre
  • Lifespan: 25 to 30 years
  • Height: 135cm to 145cm 
  • Weight: Males: upto 200kgs; Females: upto 100kgs

Himalayan Brown Bears

  • The Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) is a subspecies of the brown bear and the distribution is restricted to higher altitudes across north-western and central Himalayas including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, west China, Tibet and Nepal.
  • They dig cozy caves with their long claws and hibernate in there for most of the winter. Their heartbeats slow down to 10 beats per minute.
  • They first come out of their caves in the spring. They live off their fat during the winter. They lose up to one-third of their weight while they are hibernating.
  • Brown bears are almost on the brink of extinction due to rapid habitat loss, man-bear conflict situations, militancy and poaching for its fur, claws and organs.
  • They are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Himalayan Brown Bear General Characteristics

  • Status: Vulnerable (Indian subcontinent)
  • Wild population: 500 to 700
  • Captive population: 150 approximately
  • Under the care of Wildlife SOS: 2
  • Wildlife SOS sanctuaries with brown bears: Dachigam Rescue Centre, Pahalgam Rescue Centre
  • Lifespan: 15-20 years 
  • Height: Males: 1.5m to 2.2m; Females: 1.37m to 1.83m
  • Weight: Males: 130 – 550 kgs; Females: 80 – 250 kgs