Ex-Situ updates - Central Zoo Authority

CBRC, Veterinarians treating a Himalayan Black Bear
of 3–4 months. After this they move to a
diet of fruits, twigs, tubers and foliage,
which they forage themselves. This is
supplemented with a concentrate till
they are 14–16 months old.
The process of rehabilitation of the
bears at the centre has evolved since
its establishment. In the initial years,
with no previous guidelines on bear
rehabilitation in India, a hard-release
option was followed, in which the cubs
between the ages of 2 and 3 years
were directly released in an identified
site after 6–8 months’ acclimatisation
inside the open orientation yard.
In 2006, an alternate soft-release
method was found to be more
favourable. This method, now called
the assisted release method, has been
applied by Dr Gabriella Fredriksson, to
rehabilitation of Sun Bears in Borneo.
This produced a dramatic improvement
in rehabilitation success
Following stabilisation at the centre,
as the cubs are weaned off milk, they
are relocated into a forest rehabilitation
site for an “assisted release”. They are
taken for daily walks into the forest
by an animal keeper. For six to eight
months, these walks provide the cubs
with opportunities to instinctively
familiarise themselves with their natural
habitat. The cubs identify their natural
food and hone other skills necessary
for independent survival in the wild. At
night, the cubs remain at the camp site,
where they are provided with a feed of
concentrate to supplement their dietary
requirements.
As the cubs mature, they become
increasingly independent of their
keepers, hesitating to follow them back
to the camp site from their walks. When
the rehabilitators are confident of the
independent survival of the bears in
the wild, the cubs are radio-collared in
Experts examining a Himalyan Black Bear
Photo credit:Sashanaka Barbarauh WTI
anticipation of their release. Eventually,
the cubs move off on their own to fend
for themselves. They are remotely
monitored till the radio-collars drop off
automatically and the cubs’ ability to
survive in the wild is also established.
This change of protocol brought
an important change in bear cub
admissions at the centre – the age at
which the bear cubs are brought to
the centre now plays an important role
in their rehabilitation prospects. Cubs
above the age of six months are not
preferred as they cannot be handled
and taken for walks during the assisted
release.
The four older bear cubs already
present at the centre at the time of of
the change in protocol were moved to
a CZA-approved lifetime care facility.
These non-releasable bears under
lifetime care are housed in the CBRC
animal care facility and are on a diet of
concentrate, fruits and foliage collected
from the forests, in addition to seasonal
fruits.
Till date the centre has released more
than 20 Asiatic Black Bear cubs in the
wild. Even as we write, two batches
of bear cubs comprising four and
three individuals are undergoing insitu
acclimatisation at Mehao Wildlife
Photo credit: Sashanka Barbarauh WTI
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