Sloth bear cub trapped in snare — Rescued by Wildlife SOS & Karnataka Forest Department

In the early hours of 3rd December 2012, Wildlife SOS team in Bangalore headed by veterinarian Dr. Arun A Sha received an SOS call from the DFO Tumkur Division, Karnataka Forest Department about a sloth bear trapped in a snare. This was a very unusual case and we had little time to lose. The location was about 2-hours from Bangalore city (about 150 kms) in a village situated in Tumkur division.

The Wildlife SOS team from the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre in Bangalore rushed to the spot to assist the Karnataka Forest Department in the rescue. On reaching the spot the team discovered a twelve month old sloth bear cub trapped in a snare attached to a barbed wire fence. The cub had been trapped at night and had entangled itself in the barbed wire and was injured. Quick action was required to remove the cub from the snare. Dr Arun – the Wildlife SOS vet darted the bear cub and once sedated, the WSOS team and the Forest Department officers used bolt cutters and cut away the wire and the snare that held the bear cub captive.

The bear cub was then moved by WSOS to the Bear Rescue Center in Bannerghatta for treatment.

“Currently the bear cub requires medical attention. Upon recovery the bear cub will be released in the same area where it was rescued from.” said Dr Arun A Sha, Senior Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre, Bangalore. “If not for the timely intervention by the Forest Department, this cub would have become another statistic. We hope the local Police and the Karnataka Forest Department initiate strict legal action against the farmer on whose land the snare was found and any other persons who were responsible for this heinous crime. There is a serious need to spread awareness in the region about tolerance towards wildlife” said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder – Wildlife SOS.