Patna, April 12 (IANS) Five bear cubs, which were smuggled to Bihar from West Bengal after poachers killed their mothers and caught them, have been rescued and are safely lodged in the Patna Zoo, thanks to an NGO.
The Delhi-based Wildlife SOS conducted a joint raid with Bihar Police and the state forest department at Kharagpur Haveli of Munger district Wednesday, leading to the recovery of the cubs and the arrest of two men.
"The five bear cubs that were recovered are between three and four months old and were poached after their mothers were killed," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and chairman of Wildlife SOS.
The operation followed intelligence provided by Wildlife SOS's anti-poaching network Forestwatch, run in association with One Voice France.
The two people arrested had purchased the cubs for Rs.800 from poachers in West Bengal and transported them to Bihar. The men were kalandar smugglers, belonging to a tribe of nomads who earn their living by making bears 'dance'.
All the five cubs are males and had fresh wounds in their delicate muzzles through which ropes had been passed.
"Wildlife SOS will be providing expert veterinary care and a specialised cub keeper for them," said Arun Sha - Wildlife SOS Veterinarian and bear expert.
The bear cubs are housed in the Patna Zoo and may be shifted to the Agra Bear Rescue Facility run by Wildlife SOS.
The Delhi-based Wildlife SOS conducted a joint raid with Bihar Police and the state forest department at Kharagpur Haveli of Munger district Wednesday, leading to the recovery of the cubs and the arrest of two men.
"The five bear cubs that were recovered are between three and four months old and were poached after their mothers were killed," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and chairman of Wildlife SOS.
The operation followed intelligence provided by Wildlife SOS's anti-poaching network Forestwatch, run in association with One Voice France.
The two people arrested had purchased the cubs for Rs.800 from poachers in West Bengal and transported them to Bihar. The men were kalandar smugglers, belonging to a tribe of nomads who earn their living by making bears 'dance'.
All the five cubs are males and had fresh wounds in their delicate muzzles through which ropes had been passed.
"Wildlife SOS will be providing expert veterinary care and a specialised cub keeper for them," said Arun Sha - Wildlife SOS Veterinarian and bear expert.
The bear cubs are housed in the Patna Zoo and may be shifted to the Agra Bear Rescue Facility run by Wildlife SOS.
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