Feature: A new home and a new life

Mar 26, 2010

Dewa and Babu enjoying life at the sanctuary after being confiscated from poachers.
© BRC

After living a life filled with suffering, bears that have been rescued are often unable to adapt to a life in the wild. For these bears, a sanctuary can provide a safe haven to live out the rest of their days. Here’s an update on the new life we’re providing for baited bears in Pakistan…

For more than 10 years, WSPA and its member society the Bioresource Research Centre, Pakistan (BRC), led by dedicated campaigner Dr Fakhar-i-Abbas, have worked tirelessly to put an end to bear baiting. In this cruel ‘sport’, vicious dogs are set upon a defenceless bear that has been tethered to a post. Spectators look on to watch who is left standing, the bear or the dogs.

Full house

Our campaign has been so successful in stopping this cruel ‘entertainment’ and rescuing the bears that WSPA’s sanctuary in Pakistan’s Kund Park is now full.

“We’re the victims of our own success,” explains Fakhar. “When our monitoring work officially started in 2003 there were around 300 bears used for baiting. Now, by our recent estimates, there are only around 70 left.”

“This is wonderful – a great tribute to our work and the kindness of WSPA supporters, but at the moment we have no way of rescuing and caring for them all. Kund Park has recently run out of space. This is why a new sanctuary is urgently needed.”

A new place to call home

Thanks to WSPA supporters, plans for a new sanctuary are complete, an ideal site has been purchased in Balkasar and the first of three enclosures is almost complete. Like WSPA’s Kund Park sanctuary, the new sanctuary in Balkasar will have spacious enclosures, holding pens, a veterinary treatment area, pools and artificial dens in which the bears can start to live naturally – for the first time in their lives.

The other two enclosures will be built as funds become available and will provide Pakistan’s last baited bears with a place to live in comfort for the rest of their lives.

Roshni’s story

Roshni was brought to Kund Park sanctuary in Pakistan in 2009.
© WSPA

Roshni, an Asiatic black bear, spent his days quietly, either sleeping in his den to avoid the heat of the day or dipping in and out of a pool that he shared with Jugno, his neighbour. The dog bites around his face and neck healed, thanks to the special care and treatment he received at WSPA’s Kund Park Sanctuary.

Roshni was used in bear baiting – a brutal entertainment once prevalent in Pakistan. For around 75 days a year he was tethered to a post in the middle of ring in front of an audience. Dogs were set upon him in as many as six different fights a day. Roshni had no chance of defending himself or of escaping.

Sadly, BRC staff believe that that Roshni did not survive the devastating floods that submerged the Kund Park sanctuary at the end of July 2010. Read more about the flooding >>

Caring for the rescued bears

Nine months ago, Roshni was rescued by WSPA member society the Bioresource Research Centre of Pakistan, taken to the Kund Park sanctuary where was put under the care of Malik Ghulam Sarwar, zoologist and sanctuary manager.

“Caring for bears like Roshni is very rewarding,” he explains. “When they first come in they are quite disorientated and don’t seem to do very much. This is because they will have spent most of their time either in very cramped surroundings or experiencing the great cruelty and trauma of the baiting rings.

“Then gradually we start to see changes. It was wonderful when Roshni started foraging for food for the first time and tried to climb a tree. This was a true indication that he was feeling better as he was starting to behave like a wild bear.”

“When complete, WSPA's new sanctuary will ensure that all of the remaining bears used for baiting in Pakistan will enjoy lives of freedom,” says Malik Sarwar.