Looking back at 30 years of sloth bear conservation in India

Bengaluru: On October 12, 2022, Wildlife SOS put sloth bears on the world map of conservation by establishing World Sloth Bear Day. As conservationists mark this year’s World Sloth Bear Day, its 2nd anniversary, the organisation picks this occasion to shed light on its achievement of working for 30 years in wildlife conservation.

Wildlife SOS is honoured to celebrate saving India’s precious wildlife as it enters the 30th year of its existence. From humble beginnings - rescuing, treating and rehabilitating wild animals in distress from a garage in Delhi in 1995, the organisation has saved tens of thousands of animals till date. One of its most significant works would be resolving the brutal practice of ‘dancing’ bears and bringing nearly 700 sloth bears to sanctuary. The organisation started its work as a pioneer in the welfare of these captive bears, which are found across mainland India.

In the 30 years of its work for sloth bear conservation, the organisation manages and operates four sloth bear rescue facilities across the country. Today Wildlife SOS oversees the Agra Bear Rescue Facility- the world’s largest sloth bear sanctuary, located inside the Soor Sarovar Bird sanctuary in Agra, followed by the world’s second largest sloth bear sanctuary at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre in Bangalore. The organisation also manages two more sloth bear rescue centres in Bhopal, inside Van Vihar National Park and in Purulia, West Bengal.

The Co-founder and Secretary, Wildlife SOS, Geeta Seshamani expressed, “As we look back on 30 years of Wildlife SOS, I’m overjoyed to see how far we’ve come. What started with rescuing captive sloth bears, has beautifully expanded into a mission which has rescued and rehabilitated countless other species of animals.

Supporting the indigenous Kalandar community with livelihood opportunities and providing a new direction in their life underscores how the ripple effect of our conservation effort extends far beyond animal welfare. We have fostered sustainable coexistence by mitigating human-wildlife conflict, and by taking care of both sides.”

Upon entering the organisation’s 30th anniversary celebrations, Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS emphasised on the importance of collective efforts for the planet’s future. He said, “As we celebrate Wildlife SOS, I reaffirm the belief that “the future is ours to protect”. This guiding principle has been at the heart of our mission since our inception, and it continues to inspire our work today.”

“Over the past 30 years, we have made significant strides in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation. Now the responsibility to safeguard natural resources lies with each of us. As we are losing vital forest cover, we must come together to focus on necessary reforestation efforts. This is in the hope that the future generations inherit a thriving planet filled with the beauty and diversity of wildlife,” he concluded.