where the wild things are

After the hustle and bustle of Agra it was nice to escape the city and visit the Wildlife SOS team at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility in the nearby Sur Sarovar Bird Sancturay. Just 8 or 9 years ago on the same road on which we travelled we probably would've seen some dancing bears . Thanks to Katrick and the team the practise has been all but stamped out now, but the sloth bears remain at risk from poachers who sell bear body parts across the border for Chinese medicine

Dancing bears are taken from their mothers at just a few weeks old and in most cases the mother is killed. The baby bear then begins their new life as a performer. Their sensitive muzzles are pierced with a red hot poker and their canine teeth are smashed out without anaesthetic. Kept on a 4 metre chain, they are then forced to dance for tourists or locals who pay for the privilege, probably not really realising that they are keeping this tragic practise alive by funding the poor tribespeople who steal and trade the baby bears. Separated from their mothers so early, their  immune systems never really develop and so their health is compromised. All in all the bears have a pretty terrible existence and even now photography is banned at the sanctuary as it can be traumatic for the animal’s who’ve spent their lives forced to perform in front of the camera.

But it’s not all bad news. The bears now have a lovely big sanctuary to roam around in. Captured bears are always castrated, so breeding is not an option, but at least they have somewhere safe and peaceful to live out their days. The organisation also works to educate and empower the tribespeople who up until now, have used the bears as their main source of income.

We were the only visitors, the sanctuary is not open to the public, and Kartick and his team made us very welcome, taking us on a guided tour and answering every question we asked. Not to mention the fantastic lunch they laid on for us! You can find out more about their work or donate online here.