Bear Necessities: Rehabilitation and Release of Asiatic Black Bears

Sanjeeb Baruah

Wandering Giants of India’s Northeast

Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC), Pakke

Nestling in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost corner of India is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. The evergreen tropical rainforests, temperate grasslands and a maze of fresh water springs on the undulating plains provide an ideal home to a variety of species. More than 500 varieties of avifauna are believed to be sighted here. Also found some of the most exotic varieties of orchids known in the world, besides a large variety of carnivores and herbivores. Conservationists believe that it is one of the last remaining natural ecosystems of tropical rain forests in India and holds prominence as one of the important global conservation site.

Asiatic black bears are most abundantly found here although their exact numbers were never officially recorded. Today the Asiatic black bears in Arunachal Pradesh are under threat due to many androgenic and anthropogenic factors. One major reason for the decline in their numbers is habitat loss. Increasing human encroachment into their habitats is forcing them to retreat and limiting their food resources.

A full-grown bear can weigh more than 400 kg, which is nearly twice the weight of an average Indian tiger. Of the seven species of bears (Sloth bear, Brown bear, Spectacled bear, North American black bear, Sun bear, Asian black bear and polar bear), those found on the Indian sub-continent are Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Sloth bear (Melurus ursinus), Brown bear (Ursus arctos) and Malayan sun bear (Ursus malayanus). Of these, the black bear and the sloth bear are most abundantly found in India and are mostly confined to the lower Himalayan ranges. The other two varieties, the brown bear and the Malayan sun bear are less common.

Like most other bear species, Asiatic black bears are omnivorous and will eat anything they can find, from nuts and insects to the carcasses of large animals. They feed on fruiting trees such as Dillenia indica, Syzigium cumini, Garuga pinnata, Emblica officinalis, Ficus pomefera, F scandens, etc and are commonly found in the rain forests of Arunachal Pradesh. Closer to human diet, they also feed on Zea mays, Coriya papaya, Ananas comosus, Mongifera indica, Arachis hypogaeo, etc.

The people of Arunachal Pradesh with their ten lakh strong population depend mostly on forest resources to meet their food requirements for sustenance. Population census in 2002 indicates that there is a 26 percent increase in the overall population in the state since the early nineties. The eighties also saw an unprecedented felling of trees for commercial purposes across the state. Easy income and the lure of money turned a handful of Arunachali entrepreneurs into successful plywood merchants. Many others took up the lucrative trade until the Supreme Court imposed a ban on logging and felling of trees in the late nineties.

Animal keeper monitoring the bears

These activities have created an adverse impact on the forest ecosystem and a loss of valuable wildlife habitat. Like all other wild species living in the area, the Asiatic black bears are also affected due to the large scale logging of trees. Quite alarmingly the changes in the tropical rainforest habitats invariably bring changes to the wildlife. Even mild levels of grazing by domestic herds can disrupt the vegetation balance and destroy the ecological niches of animals. Asiatic black bears who feed on these trees felt the crunch at the shortage of food. Dwindling habitats and human activities close to their habitats have forced these animals to stray out into human settlements to feed at refuse dumps.

Traditionally a sizeable local population believes in hunting notwithstanding enforcement of wildlife laws. When the mother bears are killed, the abandoned bear cubs are kept as captives to be later sold as pets. Rescuing bears from that fate saves them from perishing due to disease and malnutrition or distress, for bear cubs are vulnerable and needy, relying on the care and emotional support of a mother for as long as five years.

The practice of keeping bear cubs as domestic pets has been for long common in Arunachal Pradesh. As the bear cubs grow they become more aggressive and are then handed over to local forest officials or a zoo. Most of the orphaned bear cubs had been living on the grounds of the Itanagar Zoo in the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh before a project on Asiatic black bear was initiated. As more and more cases of orphaned bear cubs came flooding in, the idea to set up a separate facility for rescue and rehabilitation was consciously felt.

A pioneering project by the WTI to help rehabilitate Asiatic black bears

Animal keepers feeding the bears at CBRC

The Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation popularly known as CBRC was started following a memorandum of understanding between the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Arunachal Pradesh forest department with support from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The Centre is situated on the banks of river Pakke in the Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary with an approximate area of 800 sq km, amidst lush evergreen tropical rain forests-a perfect abode for the growing bears. The centre provides refuge to orphaned bear cubs and rehabilitates them until they are released in their natural habitats.

For the purpose of identifying a favorable site for the construction of the centre at Pakke, two well known scientists Valentine Pazetnov and Curt Clumper were invited by WTI,” said Prabal Sarkar, Senior Field Officer.

Dr. N V K Ashraf Deputy Director of the Wild Rescue programme from the Wildlife Trust of India says “the project on Asiatic black bear rehabilitation was initiated to rehabilitate young bear cubs that get displaced when hunters hunt adult females. The project was kicked off following the MoU between WTI and Department of Environment and Forests, Arunachal Pradesh, in March 2002. A notification identified the sites for establishing a centre for the purpose.”

Housed at the CBRC are shelters and large pre-release orientation yards where the bear cubs are kept and monitored prior to their release. Dr. Ashraf said, “Shelters and large pre-release orientation yards were established in 2003-04 in an area of about 5 acres with the support from the Animal Welfare Division of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The facility is now extended to hold about 10-12 bears at a time.”

CBRC staff weans the orphans from human dependence gradually allowing them to form into social groups under the leadership of dominant males and return to their natural habitat. In the process the staff logs hundreds of hours of direct observation on a wide range of behaviors. They are able to watch the animals personalities develop and can attempt to decipher the subtle, intricate rules of bear conduct. Their data contribute to gather greater understanding of the species, whose numbers are believed to be in decline.

According to Dr. Ashraf, “two of the six bears that were undergoing rehabilitation at the centre were released on the 28 th of February 2005 after radio collaring. Four more bears, if found adequately rehabilitated, will be released during the next year. The project is supported by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and British High Commission (BHC).”

A bear’s territory consists of a number of distinct areas, some used for feeding and some for rest and all others are linked by a network of paths. The bears mark the boundaries of these areas by rubbing their glands of their throat against bushes, urinating against trees or rocks or by scratching barks. These signals act as direction markers for each individual and also help to deter other bears.

Bears mate in spring or summer following a perfunctory courtship. During the winter females produce litters of one to three and very rarely, four cubs after three to nine months gestation depending on the species. The cubs are helpless at birth and weigh less then 500 gms. Females are usually the sole guardians of the offspring and protect them from other predators. The bears spend the day sleeping in the shelter of rocks or in dens hollowed out of tree trunks, emerging to seek food at night. The loss of sufficient tree cover in the Arunachal jungles due to the mass tree felling during the seventies and eighties has affected the bear habitat today. A limited forest cover was however recovered after the Supreme Court ban on forest resources and notifying forests in Arunachal as Protected Areas.

The two bears that were released last month are at present being monitored by a team of scientists. Groundwork is under way for the imminent release of another pair of bears, while the remaining cubs being rehabilitated at the CBRC will just have to “bear” and bide time till they are fit to fend for themselves in the wild.

(Sanjeeb works with the Wildlife Trust of India as an Asst. Communication Officer)