When one hears the name ¡°Sloth bear¡± for the first time, it can be quite puzzling to imagine what this animal looks like. The picture that perhaps comes to mind is that of a South American Sloth, an arboreal mammal known for spending most of its life hanging upside down from a tree and chewing its food at an incredibly slow pace.
You might also have seen the hilarious portrayal of this mammal depicted in the popular animated movie?Zootopia. In reality, Sloth bears are agile and considered to be one of the?most formidable wild animals. It was in 1791 that European zoologist George Shaw came across this bear and may have misunderstood its characteristics to be more akin to that of a Sloth¡¯s as opposed to a bear¡¯s, hence giving it the name ¡°bear sloth¡±.
Not only that, when it came to the Latin-based binomial classification of these animals (genus), he placed this bear in the same family under which Sloths are classified, called?Bradypodidae, as opposed to?Ursidae,?the bear family. After many changes along the way, the scientific name of Sloth bears was finally corrected from?Bradypus ursinus?to become?Melursus ursinus. Its common name, however, was only inverted to what we call the bear today: Sloth bear.?
The paucity of research surrounding the Sloth Bear has made this bear species a feared enigma. Some call it the ¡°world¡¯s deadliest bear¡± owing to increasing incidents of human-Sloth bear conflict, while others continue to poach the bear for use in entertainment or traditional medicine.
Determined to conserve this unique bear species and its habitat, India-based wildlife conservation charity Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the IUCN-SSC Sloth Bear Expert Team has declared 12th October as World Sloth Bear Day. This year will be the first inaugural World Sloth Bear Day highlighting the dire need for research, conservation and protection efforts for Sloth bears.?
Known as the ¡®least researched¡¯ bear species, the mystery surrounding Sloth bears only hinders their conservation. Fighting a long uphill battle for survival due to habitat loss, habitat degradation, human-bear conflict and poaching, the Sloth bear is listed as ¡®Vulnerable¡¯ on the IUCN Red List. With only 6,000 to 11,000 Sloth Bears left in the wild, we must begin re-writing the story of the Sloth bear.
There is a lot to be learned about this unique bear known for its shaggy coat, long claws and whitish Y or V-shaped patch on the chest. Their long claws help them dig up termite mounds and ant hills which sometimes are rock-hard. Utilising their long lower lip they can easily suck out a large number of insects. Their diet, which primarily consists of termites, fruits and tubers, maintains the health of a forest, making Sloth bears a keystone species.?
Presently Sloth bears are only found in the Indian subcontinent, Nepal and a sub-species in Sri Lanka. In India, these bears have existed for nearly two million years and have become a part of the history of the land. During the time of empires, Sloth bears were poached from the wild and used as entertainment for great kings and rulers.?
The Kalandars, a nomadic community that tamed Sloth bears for a living, would poke a hot iron poker through the muzzle of a bear. A coarse rope was then tied around this wound. When the rope was pulled, the Sloth bear would get up on its hind legs in agony ¨C an act interpreted as dancing.
To conserve the population of Sloth bears in India, the 'dancing' bear practice had to be stopped. Between 2002 and 2009, the organisation rescued 628 dancing bears, that were rehabilitated at four rescue centres located across the country.?
The Agra Bear Rescue Facility in Uttar Pradesh is considered the world¡¯s largest Sloth bear centre. At the Wildlife SOS Bear rescue centres, Sloth bears were given the life of dignity and freedom that was taken away from them.?
They received the veterinary care they needed including dental procedures, X-rays, and a specially curated diet plan. Moreover, their lush green enclosures provided them with a home as close to their natural habitat as possible.?
To ensure the Kalandar community did not fall back on poaching wild animals for a living, Wildlife SOS worked with the Kalandars to provide them with?alternative forms of livelihood and access to education. Over 3000 families have been provided with alternative livelihoods and over 8000 Kalandar children have been assisted with education support.?
Today, 90% of the global Sloth Bear population is found in India. According to several reports, their population has dropped by 40 to 50% over the last three decades mainly due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, poaching and increasing human-bear conflict.
The (Wildlife Protection) Act of India, 1972 lists the Sloth bear under Schedule I, granting this species the same level of protection as tigers, rhinos and elephants. However, this keystone species has mostly been fighting a long uphill battle for survival and urgently deserves?conservation and protection measures. The recent extirpation of sloth bears in Bangladesh points towards the pressing need to conserve these species.?
Through the declaration of World Sloth Bear Day, Wildlife SOS and the IUCN-SSC Sloth?Bear Expert Team aim to set precedence for the rest of the world to promote the conservation of Sloth bears and their habitats throughout their distribution range. We hope this day is a rallying call for citizens of the world to fight for the conservation of sloth bears and support organisations actively working to protect them. Above all, this day is our touching point to work all year round to ensure that we never see an India without Sloth bears.?
World Sloth Bear Day is a time to pause and reflect on the importance of protecting this truly unique species.
About the author: Kartick Satyanarayan is the CEO and Co-founder of Wildlife SOS. All views/opinions expressed in the article are of the author.