500th dancing bear rescued in India: UK charity

LONDON: The International Animal Rescue (IAR) charity organisation has claimed to have rescued the 500th dancing bear from the streets of India.

The Uckfield-based animal welfare organisation described the recent rescue as a 'major milestone' in the campaign to free all the dancing bears in the country and provide them with a safe haven.

Alan Knight, chief executive of IAR, told the local media: "We are well on the way to end the trade in dancing bears in India altogether.

"By nominating 2009 as International Animal Rescue's Year of the Bear we aim to give a new impetus to the campaign and rescue all the remaining bears off the streets.

"In the new year we will be promoting a new bear adoption programme which will enable our supporters to sponsor individual bears in our sanctuaries and follow their progress back to health."

IAR said the latest bear to be saved was Chitra, a 12-year-old female sloth bear weighing just 62 kilos. When she was rescued she was described as "frightened and timid" and crouching on the floor expecting to be beaten.

Chitra had reportedly suffered numerous injuries, including a swollen and inflamed muzzle, and mouth inflammation and ulceration caused by her canine teeth being knocked out.

The first six bears were rescued by the organisation on Christmas Eve in 2002, and since then IAR has worked with Wildlife SOS to rescue and rehabilitate the animals.

Knight said: "It's hard to be patient when we know animals are suffering. But we are more determined than ever to rescue all the remaining bears, and 2009 is the year in which we intend to do it".