Rescued TikTok bear finds new home at sanctuary

Sobharo's owners let him go in exchange for alternative means of income

KARACHI:

The illegally-kept black bear in Tando Adam city, who came to public notice through a TikTok video, has safely reached a sanctuary near Islamabad.

The nomad family found to be in possession of the bear was traced by officials of the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) on August 22. The department then carried out a raid at their settlement with the aid of the Sanghar police and ultimately succeeded in rescuing the chained up bear.

"Instead of using force against them [the nomad family], we initiated a dialogue process, explaining to them that bear-baiting is illegal in the province," said SWD head Javed Ahmed Mahar.

The gypsy family initially resisted the efforts of the SWD and at first denied possession of the animal altogether.

"The police were there, but that was the last option. [Instead] we offered them an alternative means of livelihood," Mahar told The Express Tribune. A cargo motorcycle was provided to the family. "They then willingly handed over the bear."

New bearings

Rescued, and renamed as Sobharo - meaning 'victorious' - the bear was shifted to the National Bear Rehabilitation Sanctuary (NBRS) the same evening. Located between Chakwal and Islamabad, the centre is roughly 1,200 kilometres from Tando Adam.

Sobharo reached his new home the next day, and was placed in quarantine for the first couple of days.

"The next step was to remove the ring pierced in his nose," explained Mahar.

Wildlife experts say that one of the most sensitive parts of a bear's body is its nose, and it is often pierced early on during its training, in order to control it.

Sobharo's nose ring was removed through a minor surgical procedure. "It is a difficult process and needs the utmost care," said Mahar.

After the surgery, Sobharo had to be quarantined again, and tomorrow [Friday] he will be released in the sanctuary, according to Mahar.

Illegal bear-baiting

A number of bears have been rescued from different parts of the province and sent to the sanctuary since Sindh imposed a complete ban on bear-baiting in 2015.

An official at the NBRS told The Express Tribune that there were many such bears in different provinces, including Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. "Sindh has only three [left]. We hope the other provinces will soon follow suit," he said.

"We will soon trace them and Sindh will be the first province to end bear-baiting forever," said Mahar.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2020.