For over 400 years, the Sloth Bear had been a target for human exploitation. A nomadic tribe, the Kalandars, began keeping ‘dancing’ sloth bears to entertain Mughal emperors, which gradually, became cheap roadside entertainment for people who paid to watch them.

The cruel practice of enslaving bears for use as ‘dancing’ bears has been illegal in India under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, but being not well enforced, hundreds of bears remained enslaved. They were poached from the forests as cubs, their mothers often killed, and sold in illegal markets to Kalandars, who have used the dancing bears as a source of income for centuries. With no anaesthesia, a metal rod would be inserted through their muzzle so that a rope or nose ring could be attached and they spent much of their lives in pain, chained to a stake or in a cage. Their canine teeth were crudely knocked out, and the bears were beaten into submission to teach them to perform.

In 1996, Wildlife SOS’s research indicated that there were more than 1200 ‘dancing’ bears scattered throughout India. In collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, International Animal Rescue, One Voice, Free the Bears, and others, Wildlife SOS established the Agra Bear Rescue Facility to rehabilitate bears, in 1999, located in an eight-hectare site inside the Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (Keetham Lake), 17 km west of Agra – one of the four facilities in India which is operated by Wildlife SOS. It currently houses over 170 sloth bears and other wildlife, and does advanced research, disease management, and provides specialised veterinary and geriatric care for sloth bears. The facility is a tourist destination too.

On arrival to the facility, the rescued bears undergo a complete health checkup, treatment for any diseases, wounds and parasites and are vaccinated for several diseases. After a 90-day quarantine period to prevent infecting other bears, they are encouraged to go into large socialisation enclosures with other bears, where the behaviour and personality of each bear is monitored by Wildlife SOS staff.

After this process, the bear is matched to a group based on its personality, and then moved to a larger free-range area. The facility has full-time wildlife veterinary doctors and bear-keepers along with a laboratory, X-ray, ultrasound, dental suite, operation theatre etc. as well as a special facility for cub-weaning, dedicated to fostering rescued baby bears.

Being captive most of their lives, it’s unlikely they can ever be released into the wilds, but the goal of Wildlife SOS is to, basically, eradicate the awful practice. An important part is finding alternative sources of income for the Kalandars and educating them about the cruelty of their former profession. A number of young Kalandars are even employed at the facility helping care for the bears.