Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited (KEPL) is a key supporter of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a non-profit organization working towards conserving India’s wildlife in partnership with communities and governments. With the generous support from KEPL, WTl has rehabilitated rescued Asiatic black bear cubs back to the wild through the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) in Pakke Tiger Reserve, established in 2002-03 in partnership with the Department of Environment and Forest, Government of Arunachal Pradesh and in collaboration with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Besides rehabilitating orphan bear cubs, KEPL’s support also helped sensitize the local community towards wildlife conservation through state-level events. WTI expresses its gratitude towards KEPL’s support and looks forward to continuing this partnership in the future.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REHABILITATION:

  • During the year, a total of four orphaned bear cubs were successfully raised and rehabilitated in the wild. This brings the total number of hand-raised bears released in Arunachal Pradesh to 46.
  • All the required statutory compliances mandated by the Central Zoo Authority for maintaining the recognition of our rescue center with regard to infrastructure development have been successfully completed.
  • the post-release survival and ranging pattern of two bears that were released into the wild is documented
    From April to June 2022, the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) received four bear cubs that were rescued and aged between 2 and 4 months. These cubs were admitted to CBRC for nursing and rehabilitation, with the aim of releasing them into the wild.

Here are some details:

Devi:
Devi is a female bear cub who was rescued by local villagers on April 13th, 2022 in Ithalin village near Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. The cub was handed over to the Arunachal Forest Division and then to CBRC for nursing and rehabilitation on April 19th, 2022. Devi was approximately 3-4 months old and weighed 8.96 kg with a snout-to-tail measurement of 65 cm and height of 30 cm. She was given a concentrated feed consisting of soaked grams, vegetables, boiled eggs, and fruits.

Siang:
A female bear cub, named “Siang,” was rescued by volunteers of two wildlife organizations on May 10th, 2022, from Ngaming village in Arunachal Pradesh. The cub was handed over to the DCF (Wildlife&Biodiversity) and admitted to CBRC the next day for rehabilitation. Siang was found to be healthy without any injury, weighing 2.75 kg with a snout-to-tail length of 50 cm and height 20 cm, neck girth 20 cm, and chest 30 cm.

Itan:
A male bear cub named “Itan” was rescued from being kept as a pet in Itanagar. He was temporarily placed in Itanagar Biological Park before being admitted to CBRC on 16th June 2022. Itan was in average health, weighing 4.9 kg, with a body length of 50.8 cm and an approximate age between 1-2 months.

Den:
Den, a 2–3-month-old male bear cub, was rescued from Karbi Anglong district of Assam and was admitted for nursing at CWRC Kaziranga. Later, he was shifted to CBRC on 28th June 2022 for further rehabilitation, following inter-state transfer protocols. Upon admission, Den was found to be healthy, weighing 10.5 kg and having a body length of 90 cm.

The four rescued bear cubs were hand-raised at CBRC and underwent a mandatory 21-day quarantine period. They were nursed until weaned off milk and taken for guided walks to learn survival skills and introduced to solid food. Three cubs were translocated to the release site in September while the fourth was translocated two months later. One cub died due to unprovoked aggression from another cub. The remaining cubs underwent in-situ acclimatization and were gradually released into the wild after displaying a reduction in dependence on foster parents and adaptation to the release habitat.