19 Dancing Bears Who Were Rescued From Agra Needed Urgent Surgeries To Stay Alive, And They Got It

In a first of its kind of operations, 19 endangered sloth bears, rescued from horrific lives as 'dancing' bears, underwent root canal dental surgeries at the Wildlife SOS Agra Bear Rescue Facility by a team of dedicated veterinarians from Wildlife SOS with support from their partners, International Animal Rescue UK.

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According to doctors, the 19 endangered sloth bears underwent the surgeries, which lasted over three hours, to remove tumours caused by broken teeth. Doctors say that some of the sloth bears were found to be in very poor dental shape caused by abuse from their captors.

Wildlife SOS Veterinary Director Dr. Arun A. Sha said, "The bears are showing good signs of recovery after the successful surgeries. I anticipate that the bears should recover from the treatment in the next two weeks, during that time their diet would be restricted to oft mashed fruits, with supplements and painkillers. We can already see a considerable positive change in the bears. The dental treatment has brought significant improvement in their overall health."

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Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said, " The health of these bears was severely compromised because of the dental infections. The infection usually poisons the blood stream with bacteria, causing significant amount of pain and severe discomfort to the bear. Veterinary dentistry is a specialisation that's badly needed in India, with a handful of specialists working in this area. I'm glad that Wildlife SOS has the ability to help wild animals affected by dental problems."

Alan Knight, CEO of International Animal Rescue a partner organization of Wildlife SOS said: "The visit by the team of vets and dentists from UK was very rewarding. The work of the dental team and the Wildlife SOS vets has transformed the lives of bears that were living with abscesses, infections and broken off teeth. Now these bears are enjoying a contented and pain-free retirement, thanks to the skills of the Wildlife SOS vets and keepers."

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Wildlife SOS had eradicated the 400-year old brutal practice of 'dancing' bears across India which was causing a severe depletion in the wild population of sloth bears. The efforts of Wildlife SOS to protect this species took 17 long years during which time they rescued over 600 bears from poachers and members of the kalandar community and rehabilitated them at specialised bear rescue centres they established across the country.

The Agra Bear Rescue Facility is home to more than 200 rescued sloth bears and is a knowledge and conservation centre for the species. International Animal Rescue UK is a partner organisation and supports part of the costs of the bears.