Maahi

MAAHI'S RESCUE STORY

Uncovered wells continue to pose a serious threat to the wildlife that is endemic to the country. Nocturnal animals such as sloth bears, leopards, jackals, and many such unique species become victims of unexpected, serious falls that render them disabled or worse, dead. In one such heartbreaking incident, a mother sloth bear out on her nightly foraging routine became a victim of a serious fall in an open well which was 20 feet deep, along with her cubs. She immediately succumbed to her grave injuries while her cubs held onto their deceased mother’s body – anxious and whimpering helplessly. Local villagers heard these distressed cries and reached out to the Karnataka Forest Department, who informed Wildlife SOS. The sloth bear cubs were safely extracted from the open well and were estimated to be around 20-weeks old. Sloth bear cubs depend on their mothers for survival skills until the age of two years which is why these cubs could not be released back into the wild. 

They were safely rehabilitated at the Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre. To mark the remarkable journey that the two young bears have had, the Wildlife SOS team has decided to christen the female bear ‘Mithali’ and the male bear ‘Maahi’, in honour of Indian Cricket legends Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mithali Raj. The most important step of their healing journey came when they were introduced to our resident sloth bear, Ankita, who assumed the role of their foster mother and took them under her guard. With Ankita’s care and the dedication of our bear care staff and veterinary team, Maahi and Mithali emerged as  confident, rambunctious, young sloth bears who can be spotted running around in their free-ranging field. Maahi is a force of nature and spends most of his time digging mud pits and demolishing termite mounds. His love for watermelons, coconut and peanut butter are unmatched and a calm Maahi will engage in mock-wrestling sessions with Mithali each time she tries to have his share!