Delhi: ‘Bhalu bachao!’ yell the children of Taravada village near Rairakol in Sambalpur, Orissa. They have gathered to watch a street play put together by local villagers with the help of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). As part of their committment to put an end to poaching and trade of sloth bear cubs, WTI and WSPA have initiated a campaign to spread awareness on the cruelty and illegality of bear cub poaching in Sambalpur Orissa. The forests along this region harbour a large population of India’s wild sloth bears. The villagers here know the forests well and are dependent on it for some of their needs. Most tribal villagers are uneducated and many are very poor; they are easily earmarked by traders who offer them money to get them young bear cubs from the wild. Lack of awareness and the need for money lead these villagers to become hunters and they inadvertently wind up becoming the source point for the bear cub trade in India.
Through this campaign WTI-WSPA, with the support of the Forest Department, hopes to sensitise local people to the cruelty and dangers of bear cub poaching while also alerting them to the illegalities of wildlife trade. The campaign is a part of the larger Sloth Bear Conservation and Welfare Project (SBCWP) of WSPA and WTI, which also includes rehabilitation of Kalandars (semi-nomadic animal performers dependent on bear dances for livelihood) who agree to give up their illegal bear dancing profession and opt for a legal alternative livelihood of their choice. Additionally, the project provides for the welfare of surrendered sloth bears, assists in trade control through undercover operations and training for frontline forest staff. The campaign element is the latest addition to the project that holistically addresses the problems of dancing bears and the threats to wild sloth bears in India.
The campaign began earlier this month in the villages of Sambalpur in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. It is also expected to gradually be extended to the Tatanagar area in Jharkhand, which along with the Sambalpur stretch, has been identified as one of the key source areas of sloth bear cubs for the illegal market in India.
“The campaign involves street plays, poster displays, rallies and workshops, at a later stage, to generate awareness. Local street play artists dressed in bear costumes enact the sad story of bear cubs being taken away from their jungles and families for painful performances designed to entertain humans. The play incorporates local elements – simple village humor and folk songs to effectively reach out to the people of the area” said Bhagat Singh, Field Officer, WTI.
Sloth bear dance performance has been the mainstay of Kalandars as their traditional livelihood since the time of the Mughal rule in India. However, 10 years ago an amendment in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), has declared the practice illegal and these performances are now banned by Indian law.
The SPCWP has rehabilitated about 37 Kalandars who voluntarily surrendered their bears to Forest Departments in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and helped these Kalandars and their dependents to establish alternative livelihoods of their choice. The project has also assisted Indian and Nepali enforcement officials in controlling trade in live sloth bear cubs and bear parts.
Related stories:
Refresher training to protect sloth bears
WSPA-WTI initiative makes school possible for Kalandar children
Project makes new lives for bears and people (on WSPA website)
A Kalandar’s life beyond the bears
4 sloth bears readied for Indian Kalandar market seized in Nepal
