The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Forest officials in Sarpang, after being alerted by villagers, rescued a Himalayan bear cub found abandoned in the bushes nearby the villagers’ fields in Pemathang village under Sarpang earlier this week.
According to the Chief Forestry Officer in Sarpang, Phub Dendhup, the bear cub was rescued safely using a net and later transported to Bhur animal rehabilation center for treatment.
“The calf is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Bhur and will be released in the wild after it regain its health,” PhubDendhup said.He added that it was the first bear cub rescue in Sarpang. The forestry officials have rescued a number of pythons and tortoise over the years.
Reports of wildlife encroaching into urban territories and coming in direct confrontation with humans is on the rise. Wildlife habitat fragmentation, an eventual and inevitable residue of progressive and continuous development works, are observed as general reasons for the trend.
As per the records maintain by the Wildlife Rescue and Animal Health Section at Taba, a minimum of 80 wildlife are being rescued or found encroaching into urban territories each year.
Rufous-throated partridge, sambars, barking deer, wild cat, wild boars, Ruddy Shelduck, Peregrine falcon, leopard cat, takins, Himalayan black bear and goral are some of the wildlife species the center has rescued so far.
According to the Senior Forest Ranger, Tshencho Tshering, about 57 wildlife species were rescued and released after the treatment last year. He said that the herbivore species, primarily the barking deer and sambar, dominates the list. Some stray into human settlements to escape their predators but end-up in vicinities filled with far greater threats.Himalayan black bears are also frequently rescued during summer months.
As per record maintained with the rescue center, the common leopard is rarely found trespassing into human domain. However, the bears are usually found during winter seasons as they migrate to the lower altitude forests.
Tshencho Tshering added that bear cubs are found abandoned when their mothers are killed by the predators and also some bears ventureinto human domain in search of food.
He further said that most of the wildlife abandoned by their mothers, or sick and solitaryare rescued and translocated to the animal rehabilitation centers.
