Hamsi
Year of arrival: 2015
Age at the time of arrival: 4 years old
Sex: Female
Personality traits: Curious and playful
Facility: Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre (BBRC)
Favourite food: Watermelons and Coconuts
Favourite activities: Relaxing on her hammock enrichment
Special needs: Enrichments have been adjusted for Hamsi because of her inability to climb high after the gunshot injury.
Background: Hamsi was found with a bullet lodged in her left shoulder. Left in immense pain and unable to forage like she would normally do, she began to venture into human habitations in search of easily available food. Hamsi was in dire need of medical help and Wildlife SOS came to her aid by bringing her to the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre. Her injury was so grave that it left her with a permanently affected gait. | READ MORE ABOUT HAMSI
HAMSI'S STORY
A victim of human-animal conflict, Hamsi was rescued from a village in Bandipur, Karnataka. She was spotted foraging in the outskirts of the village. It was later discovered that she had a bullet wound on her left shoulder! Our veterinarians conducted a day-long surgery on Hamsi, which led them to realise that the bullet wound had fractured her bone, leaving her in immense pain and an altered gait.
Hamsi’s story is a heartbreaking one that reveals how fear of animals can prompt human beings to harm them. It was a stroke of luck that brought weak and injured Hamsi to us, allowing us to take care of her. Hamsi took an entire year to get back on her legs, but her injury permanently affected her posture and had weakened her legs. In the time that she has been with us, Hamsi’s health has greatly improved and she has been given regular physiotherapy to overcome the pain she endures.