Shaggy coat and a hefty frame,
Wobbling and sniffing the mother bear came,
With a cub clinging to her body,
A bundle of fur which looked quite shoddy,
When the mother took a break from walking,
The kid rolled down and started playing,
Climbing the trunks and looking at the amused onlookers,
Frolicking close to its mother as if it went completely bonkers,
Once again the mother gave a grunt,
As if it is time to go for a hunt,
This time the kid climbed back without any resistance,
As for now it will need its mother’s help for subsistence,
As those sloth bears left the scene,
Here are some details for those who are keen,
Sloth bears are endemic to the Indian subcontinent,
In India they are quite prominent,
Armed with long claws, tongue and snout,
They are well adapted to feed on ants and termites without any doubt,
Grateful to see these bears free in the wild,
For many years their species were under duress because of humankind,
The dancing-bear practice destroyed many bear families for centuries,
Even now they are becoming victims of wildlife trade and illegally trafficked beyond the boundaries,
Why can’t people understand that they are worth more alive?
More useful for nature if they are free to thrive,
Even as these bears in some places become part of negative human-animal interactions,
Such conflicts can be avoided if you know their physical limitations,
These beasts have poor vision and hearing senses compared to many wild creatures,
They get startled when people approach them without warning and necessary safety
procedures,
Strong animals they are very protective towards their young,
Uninvited company they always shun,
Awareness about the animal is the key to avoid unnecessary turmoil,
No wild creature will risk its life and invite a brawl,
Habitat loss and poaching menace,
Are major challenges that these animals face,
No more bondage, injuries or death,
These creatures deserve respect as they too are inheritors of this Earth…
© Nishand Venugopal.
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