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The Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) located in Pakke Tiger Reserve is jointly run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Department of Environment and Forest Arunachal Pradesh. The project is supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Kirloskar Ebara Pumps Limited.
CBRC is the only facility in India, dedicated to hand-raising and rehabilitating orphaned bear cubs. To date, over 60 bear cubs have been successfully rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.
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Satyaprakash Singh, IFS, DFO, Pakke Tiger Reserve, said, “ The cub is active and currently under close observation. At CBRC, the bear will receive essential care and nurturing until it is prepared to return to the wild.”
Dr. Panjit Basumatary, Manager & Head, CBRC, said, “Bear cubs spend between two and three years under the close supervision of their mothers, learn vital survival skills. We adopt a similar process tat CBRC through rehabilitation, which includes hand-raising, acclimatisation and weaning alongside regular walks in the forest with experienced animal keepers, to help them adapt to their surroundings. Ultimately, our goal is to reintroduce these cubs into the wild, giving them a second chance at life in their natural habitat.”
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The Asiatic black bear is categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. However, it faces numerous challenges, including shrinking habitats due to logging, agriculture expansion, roadway networks, and dams.
The primary threat has been poaching, particularly in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Bear meat, bile and claws hold a huge commercial value in the illegal wildlife trade market. Young cubs are often orphaned due to hunting or poaching of the mother and are either picked up to be sold or kept at home as pets.