ISLAMABAD: An orphaned Asian black bear cub, recently rescued from the illegal wildlife traders in Islamabad, is now making a quick recovery.
The three-month-old bear, named Daboo, had a traumatic childhood as the poachers in Neelum Valley of Kashmir killed his mother and abducted the little one. “The cub’s situation was critical with a severe infection in ears. He was scared and starved,” Anila Umair, the animal rights activist who nursed back the bear to health, told an international media outlet.
She along with another activist Anna Kazmi got the cub for Rs70,000 from a person in contact with the poacher. “Our first concern was his health and we did everything for his survival,” said Anila. At the same time, she started contacting local and global sanctuaries so he could “live safely and happily”.
After caring for a month, they decided to give the cub into the care of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB). However, a day before the sendoff, Punjab Wildlife Department confiscated the bear and transferred it to Lahore Zoo.
Animal lovers raised a hue and cry on social media saying that wild animals do not belong to the zoo, emphasising that IWMB was better equipped than Lahore Zoo to provide Daboo with care.
With the help of lawyers, activists and officials including Anila, Anna, Yasmin Ali Zaidi, Hassan Niazi and IG Forests Suleyman Warraich, the little bear was finally transferred to IWMB on June 3.
Well done @JazzYasminAliZ & all those who helped…
بے زبان کی دعاُمیں بڑا اثر ہوتا ہے! https://t.co/Z6UJuc0bt4 pic.twitter.com/Lk7X3mO5Yk— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) June 5, 2021
The latest videos shared by Islamabad wildlife officials showed him climbing trees, taking his first splashy shower in a tub and exploring the nearby home-like natural environment at Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).
“Daboo is healthy, active and now exploring his new room ready with enrichments and a cooler,” said IWMB chairperson Rina Saeed Khan. The IWMB staffers are taking care of the bear. The bear cub will stay in the care of IWMB staff until they find his new permanent home.
The population of Asiatic black bears is declining in most parts of the world and is marked as ‘threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
