A new bear at Balkasar
Nov 26, 2010
© BRC
Meet six year old Chowti, a female Asiatic black bear. Blind in both eyes, Chowti was rescued just hours after her last bear baiting event. She was immediately transported to Balkasar sanctuary with fresh wounds, after being tied up and attacked by dogs, bitten and mauled for “entertainment”.
This was Chowti’s cruel reality for more than four years. She was taken to bear baiting events by her owner, Fida Hussain, three or four times a month. Now, thanks to member society Bioresource Research Centre (BRC) in Pakistan, and all those who supported our Bricks for Bears project and bear baiting appeals throughout the year, Chowti can recover in safety and start her new life in a protected environment.
Acting together for maximum impact
Staff at the BRC in Pakistan had been tracking Hussain’s moves for a while. They had spotted him with Chowti in several locations in the Punjab and Sindh provinces, and repeatedly offered him financial and personal help in setting up a new, cruelty free livelihood – if he would just hand over Chowti. But he resisted all attempts to bring him into BRC’s Alternate Livelihood project. So when he and Chowti were spotted at that final bear baiting event in Sindh on 11th November, they alerted staff at the provincial government’s Wildlife Department, who took immediate action.
The Wildlife Department in Sindh played an extremely important role in this rescue – had it not been for their swift response to information about the bear baiting event, Hussain would have moved Chowti once again, and BRC staff would have had to start all over again to locate and monitor her even as she continued to suffer.
“Once we confiscated Chowti, we hit the road straight away, taking her to Balkasar in a vehicle loaned by the Wildlife Department, travelling at dusk and dawn, stopping ever so often to give Chowti some respite from the tiring confinement of being in the transport cage.” said Moazam Fayyaz, Manager of Alternative Livelihoods at BRC, who escorted Chowti to Balkasar along with two Wildlife Department officials. “There were powerful people involved in organizing this event, so we had to be quick and transport her immediately.”
When Chowti finally arrived at the WSPA-funded sanctuary in Balkasar, at 2:30 am on 12th November, staff gave her a medical exam, removed the ring that had pierced her muzzle and washed her wounds. They gave her a sedative so she could rest, and, later, she was released into the sanctuary’s quarantine area.
What’s next for bears and Balkasar
Thank you again to everyone involved in our Bricks for Bears project and to all of those who have given to our bear baiting appeals this year. A special thank you to our Bricks for Bears ambassador Nick Maxwell as well who has done so much to support the campaign. Thanks to Nick and to all of our WSPA supporters we have been able to complete phase one of the Balkasar Sanctuary, an important milestone meaning we can now start rescuing more bears like Chowti.So what’s next? Alongside these rescues and the further development of the Balkasar Sanctuary, we will continue our public education and alternative livelihoods work to ensure we achieve a sustainable end to bear baiting.
Keep an eye out on our website for updates on the bears at Balkasar, our continuing work and how you can stay involved in helping us to end the cruelty of bear baiting. We have come this far already with your help and generosity, imagine what more we can do for bears like Chowti.
Connect with WSPA on:
