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The Last Dance

In 2009, animal welfare history was made when the 400 year old tradition of Indian dancing bears was brought to an end. International Animal Rescue, along with our partners Wildlife SOS and Free The Bears, have rescued over 600 bears in total, all of whom have been given a permanent home and lifetime care at the sanctuaries in India.

The practice of dancing bears was made illegal in India when the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into effect. However it wasn’t until the end of 2002, when the Wildlife SOS Agra Bear Rescue Facility opened its doors, that there was anywhere to house confiscated dancing bears.

The first six bears were brought into the centre on Christmas Eve 2002 but soon the bears were pouring in and the project was operating four rescue facilities in Agra, Bannerghatta, Bhopal and West Bengal.

Crucial to the success of the project was the rehabilitation of the ex-bear handlers, known as the Kalandars. They were each provided with a package so that they could learn new trades and continue supporting their families after surrendering their bears. For the first time Kalandar children were able to attend school and receive an education sponsored by the project.

A kalandar man with his dancing bear
Alan scratching a sloth bear about to be surrendered

Babies In The Wild

Sheila and her baby in the wild
Susi in the wild with her baby Sinar

Throughout 2020 we saw four of our released orangutans give birth to babies in the wild. The birth of these babies is highly significant because it is proof of the success of the orangutan rehabilitation programme. Through the process of rescue, rehabilitation, release and monitoring IAR Indonesia has these orangutans not only to recover from their time in captivity and return to living freely in their natural habitat, but also to start creating a new generation of orangutans in locations where previously there were no orangutans.

Our monitoring team reported the first births back in March 2020 when they identified that both Peni and Susi were spotted with little babies. These two were quickly followed by Shila and Desi in July, also carrying very small babies. All of these orangutans have been through extensive rehabilitation at the centre, so our heart swells with pride to see them back in the wild giving birth and living the lives they deserve to live.

Karmele L Sanchez, Director of the IAR Indonesia Programme, said: “We believe that the birth of these babies is not the happy ending to the reintroduction programme. It is the beginning. The beginning of the formation of generations of new wild orangutans in the area of Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park. We’re delighted not only to be giving a second chance to orangutans that have been kept as pets, but also to be giving them the opportunity to become mothers. Mothers and infants can live freely in their natural habitat and thus also support and protect the ecology of the region.”