Raju, India’s last dancing bear, marked seven years of his freedom on Monday.
The 15-year-old sloth bear spent the first eight years of his life as a ‘dancing bear’ and was allegedly subject to abuse by his owner. In 2009, he was rescued by Wildlife SOS, an NGO, as part of its Dancing Bear Rehabilitation Project.
With support from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Wildlife SOS not only rescued the endangered bears but also rehabilitated the ‘Kalandar’ communities, engaged in the bear dancing practice for centuries.
According to the organisation, as part of his ordeal as a dancing bear, “a red hot iron poker was forcibly pierced through his soft muzzle and a rope was then strung through the fresh wound.”
Arun A. Sha, Director (Research and Veterinary Operations), Wildlife SOS, said seven years ago, Raju was in a pitiable state, weighing less than 60 kg. “Today, he is healthy and enjoying his new life at our Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre.” Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said: “Watching Raju take his first steps to freedom stood testament for everyone at Wildlife SOS as we finally closed the curtain on India’s dancing bear trade. To end this cruel practice and protect the sloth bear population, we had to begin with upliftment of Kalandar community.”
