Dramatic rescue saves cub from dancing
Sep 23, 2011
WSPA’s local partner, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), staged a dramatic rescue to free him from captivity and he’s now being cared for by forestry officials, who will find him a safe home.
While the rescued cub is relatively healthy, he has already had his teeth removed and his sensitive muzzle has been pierced with a ring to subdue, control and teach him to ‘dance’. But his fate could have been so much worse.
Tip-off
WTI received a tip-off in late August that two cubs were for sale in the Jharkand State of India and immediately launched an undercover investigation to try to save them. WTI then worked with its informers and forestry officials to hatch a daring plan to free the cubs. It’s thanks to the help of WSPA supporters that this work is made possible.Fight to end poaching – with your support
But the struggle for the safety and freedom of India’s bears is not over yet, as the two men attempting to sell this cub escaped and fled, taking the second cub with them. Your help as a WSPA supporter is now more important than ever if we’re to truly end poaching in India and stop this terrible practice of bear dancing at its root.
WSPA and WTI are working together to prevent the poaching and sale of sloth bear cubs from the wild in India. These young animals are under continual threat from poachers who take them from the wild and sell them into captivity.
Despite the steep decline in the popularity of bear dancing, this story shows that the market for bear cubs still exists. Forest department officials also confirmed what WTI and WSPA have suspected for some time: that Jharkhand has the potential of becoming the latest hub for bear dancing.
All of this means that our anti-poaching and awareness work is as important as ever – and with your support, we can keep cubs safe and in the wild where they belong.
Please click here to support our work to stamp out bear dancing, and click here to read more about bear dancing in India.
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