Sloth bear and elephants. You would think they don’t have much in common! But the two herbivores share a common grievance — brutality at the hands of men.
Sloth bears were used by street performers across Indian states for hundreds of years, and elephants are still used at tourist spots for rides. Both the pachyderm and the demure bear are unwilling participants in the trade. Wildlife SOS, a not-for-profit organisation established in 1995, has helped rescue and rehabilitate these animals from the wild. This is their story.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS talks about the tenuous, yet rewarding journey so far: “We have rescued and rehabilitated 628 sloth bears from the dancing bear trade, in four large natural sanctuaries across India, which are run by Wildlife SOS in partnership with the State Forest Departments.”
Most of the rescued bear bore marks of physical and emotional abuse, so a release into the wild was untenable. The cubs had their teeth smashed out, a hole burnt through their nose using a hot metal rod and a thick coarse rope was strung through, and tugged at, to induce ‘dancing’ performances on demand. “They have long-term dental issues, and many of them suffer from cataract and blindness. So we undertake advanced research, disease management and provide specialised veterinary care as well as geriatric care for the sloth bears,” explains Kartick.
A dancing sloth bear with a pierced and tied up muzzle
The fate of the animals, according to him, is linked to the Kalandar community (largely nomadic people, that tamed bears and performed street side-entertainment routines) moving to an alternate livelihood — independent of wildlife trade and exploitation. “A sustainable solution for the families,” explains Geeta Seshamani, co-founder and secretary of Wildlife SOS, “is education for the children, an alternative livelihood programme as well as women empowerment initiatives. Today, over 4,000 Kalandar families are no longer dependent on illegal wildlife crime, in fact almost 40% of the Wildlife SOS staff comprises members of this community.”
Refuse to ride
Countries home to Asian elephants, often offer rides to tourists, eager to meander through streets, sitting on the highest natural seat on the planet. But the toll it takes on animals often goes unnoticed and is grossly under-reported. The Refuse to Ride campaign was launched in 2018 as a platform to educate and empower tourists to refuse unethical wildlife tourism.
India currently has over 3,000 elephants living in captivity. Elephant calves are captured from the wild, tearing them away from the herd. Calves are restrained in small squeeze contraptions called kraals, and starved and beaten. This brutal ‘breaking-in process’ called katti azhikal or phajaan , is intended to destroy the natural, wilful spirit of the animal and instill fear of punishment, so that it allows humans to ride it.
Wildlife SOS has rescued over 35 elephants that were either used for begging, in circuses, processions and weddings, for tourism or entertainment. Each one carries a similar story of abuse and neglect. “Asha, one of the elephants in our care in Mathura, UP, lived most of her life being used as a riding elephant at the Amer Fort, in Jaipur. After suffering an injury that permanently affected her gait, she was illegally trafficked to Madhya Pradesh where she lived as a begging elephant, until her rescue,” says Kartick .
- In order to use an elephant for rides, the owner must have an Ownership Certificate issued by the Forest Department, with all the details of the elephants — name, sex, place of origin, microchip — and can only have been issued during the stipulated periods after the enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 or the guidelines issued by Project Elephant. These guidelines state the working and housing conditions necessary for the maintenance and upkeep of an elephant in captivity.
The rescue ops
Elephant rescues work in three ways — State Forest Departments reach out about the seizure of an elephant on grounds of cruelty or the absence of legal ownership documentation. Once court orders are organised, the elephant is rehabilitated to the Wildlife SOS Conservation and Care Centre or the Elephant Hospital. “We have a network of informers on-ground who are tracking cases of serious elephant abuse, and we also run an active Elephant Rescue Hotline (+91-9971699727) wherein we receive complaints from the public. We investigate each case, and liaise with the Forest Department,” explains Geeta.
Once animals are brought to Wildlife SOS facilities, they are vetted for signs of emotional and physical abuse, “Physically, their body hosts scars of brutal beatings with a bull hook or even an axe. They have overgrown, cracked toenails, wounded footpads and cuticles along with degenerative joint disorders, as they were forced to walk on tarmac roads or kept tethered on concrete surfaces for long hours. Psychologically, it’s a far more arduous process to get them to trust humans again. Most elephants have had limited or no interaction with their own kind or have lived in isolation which is why the care staff gives them the time they need to settle in their new surroundings,” states Kartick
For details, visit wildlifesos.org, refusetoride.org and @wildlifesos on Instagram
