Location
Wildlife SOS, Bear Island, Agra, India.
Types of Animals Involved
Indian Sloth Bears.
Extent of Contact
Bears are not allowed any interaction with visitors and kept in enclosures.
Unnatural Behaviour
All I witnessed was bears just being bears.
Overall Impression
These bears were rescued by Wildlife SOS from the cruel dancing bear trade. There was huge focus on education here and we were told all about the cruelty the bears were subjected to and how they were rescued. The bears live on an island and you have to get a boat to the centre, so there are staff that live on the site. We spoke to them about the care they give the animals and saw the kitchens where the food was prepared. Many of the bears are traumatised by their experience’s and are housed in different groups depending on their personality and trauma. When the bears where rescued the charity also rehabilitated the people who surrendered them, so they had a sustainable income so won’t just out and poach more bears from the wild. All in all this was a great experience and these animals, whilst not in their natural habitat, are in a good place.
Bear Island
