Van Vihar Bear rescue Facility

India Bear Rescue

Elephant Conservation

Tribal Rehabilitation

The creation of the third Bear Rescue Centre in India, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department fructifies Wildlife SOS' attempt to put an end to the cruel practice of dancing bear in the state. Our third Bear Rescue Centre in Central India started in the Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal is now home to 17 ex-dancing bears. These bears were rescued/handed over by their masters- Qalandars after months of intensive work with the community.

The rescued bears at the facility are first put in quarantine and then cared for- diet, treatment and loved by a dedicated team of vets and animal care takers led by Dr Moorthy and Ms. Prerna Sharma. Wildlife SOS vet supervises their care and ensures that they receive nutritious diets with added vitamins and medication when required. And once they are healthy enough to undergo the rope removal surgery, the bears undergo surgery and treatment as required.

Wildlife SOS works in partnership with International Animal Rescue in the UK, One Voice France, Humane Society Australia & FTB, Australia to cut the bears free and stop the dance.

In addition to the 17 rescued dancing bear, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has also handed over the charge of 7 other Sloth Bears to the facility including a female Albino Bear- Kamli. The Forest Department also honoured us with a Moon Bear - Sagar,given our commitment and dedication towards the welfare and care of our animals. These Bears were given to Wildlife SOS for feeding, upkeep and care.

Currently our Rescue Centre homes 25 adult Bears and 1 cub. The rescued animals suffer from health problems such as tumours and tuberculosis; problems of malnutrition and dehydration; cataracts and opacity of vision; muzzle injuries, maggot wounds and ulcerations in the mouth; with severely broken teeth.

Qalandar Rehabilitation

Their ex-masters, members of the Qalandar community are also part of this holistic project of Wildlife SOS which seeks to help the tribals establish themselves in different trades and professions so that they can replace their bears with other means of livelihood. Those who have surrendered bears to Wildlife SOS have been rehabilitated into many different occupations and monitored by our manager Ms Prerna. The vocations in which training has been given to them range from tailoring to poultry farming. The training school set up for Qalandar women has been a great success, with its first 19 'students' graduating last month.

"We have trained 19 girls and ladies of qalandar community in tailoring. Out of these 19 students 11 girls are doing well and have become proficient enough to start a business unit to market their stitched clothes," says our team member and manager Ms. Prerna.