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  • Night Safari
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  • Sloth Bear

Sloth bear

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Quick facts

Lifespan

LifespanUp to 40 years under human care

fruits

DietInsects like ants and termites, fruits, leaves and honey

Habitat

HabitatWet and dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands and grasslands

range

RangeIndia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, southern lowlands of Nepal and Bhutan

The sloth bears

Bears of the night

Bears of the night

Sloth bears are mainly nocturnal and have a keen sense of smell. Their sight and hearing are poor, allowing humans to come very near to them. This has led to numerous cases of fatal bear attacks. Though shy, they will defend themselves when they feel threatened.

In the day, they sleep in caves, especially caves by river banks. They do not hibernate, but are inactive for a period of time during the rainy season. Despite living in the tropics, they possess long, shaggy coats.

Noisy, nimble bears

Noisy, nimble bears

The sloth bears use their sickle-shaped claws as ‘climbing hooks’ to hoist themselves up trees. They climb not to escape danger, but to get at termite or bee nests. Inserting their long snouts into the nests, they rip them open with their claws.

They can voluntarily open and close their nostrils to prevent inhaling dust. They then blow away the earth and suck the termites into their mouths, with much noisy puffings and belchings.

Dancing bears no more

Dancing bears no more

Early explorers observed that sloth bears hung upside down in trees and they were once thought to be related to the three-toed sloth. Widely sought after for their acrobatic skills, sloth bears were captured and trained to perform circus acts.

Cubs are poached, often after the killing of the mother bear, for use as street-show ‘dancing bears’. The cubs are coerced into submission and trained through constant infliction of pain, which may involve standing on hot metal plates and beatings with a stick.

The practice of using bears as roadside performers has been banned in India since 1972 and has tapered off after 2009 but persists on a smaller scale in Nepal.

Unbearable cruelty

Unbearable cruelty

To prevent injury to its owner, a captured cub may have its canines pulled and its claws removed. Its sensitive muzzle is pierced and a hot iron rod is inserted, without anaesthesia.

A rope is passed through this hole and the bear is taught to respond to every tug of the rope. A ban on dancing bear performances means loss of income for the people that depend on the practice for a living.

We can help by supporting conservation projects involved in the rescue of bears from this cruel practice and the creation of alternative livelihoods in the communities affected.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Rhealopez168

Together, we protect wildlife

 Human-bear conflict

Human-bear conflict

Human-bear conflict occurs when sloth bears enter farmed land to feed on crops like maize and sugar cane. Face-offs are often fatal. The resultant hostility of the locals towards the bears has made bear conservation harder. You can help by supporting projects that aim to aid sloth bears and the people living alongside them.

The IUCN Status

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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