File photo: Nepali authorities with one of the four sloth bears seized by them in Siraha district, Nepal, in an operation assisted by the Wildlife Trust of India in September 2008

Indian bear dancer arrested in Nepal; one sloth bear seized

Nawalparasi (Nepal), March 19, 2010: A kalandar (bear dancer) of Indian origin was apprehended by the Nepal police and Forest officials assisted by local villagers in Nawalparasi district along the Indo-Nepal border, on Tuesday. A sloth bear was confiscated from his possession.

The accused against whom no charges has been filed yet, is a resident of Uska Bazar village in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

“The accused was apprehended in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park. Currently, investigations are going on. Appropriate action will be taken against the accused once the case is submitted to the Forest Department formally. If convicted, the accused can get a maximum punishment of 2 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000,” said Dr Narendra Pradhan, Wildlife Warden, Chitwan National Park.

“Kalandars have been performing bear dance for centuries as their main means of livelihood. It is something they are proud of and something they believe in. Had bear dancing not been made illegal in India, it would perhaps be impossible to convince them to switch to an alternative profession. In the cases of most kalandars, bear dancing is the only way they know to earn a living. So, unless they are made aware of their potential to sustain their families through an alternative livelihood, they will have no choice but to continue bear dancing,” said Ujjal Kumar Sarma, Manager, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

The WTI, in collaboration with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), runs a holistic Sloth Bear Conservation and Welfare Project (SBCWP) in India. In addition to trade control, awareness campaigns, capacity-building of frontline Forest Department staff in sloth bear habitats, the project runs an Alternative Livelihood programme for kalandars.

As against cash compensation, the project provides rehabilitation package in the form of alternative livelihoods of the choice of the kalandars. The project also continues to monitor and support the rehabilitated kalandars over a long period to prevent a relapse. Beneficiaries of the project include more than 40 kalandar families in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. 

Photo: WTI

Learn more about:
Sloth Bear Conservation and Welfare Project - Alternative Livelihood for Kalandars

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4 sloth bears readied for Indian Kalandar market seized in Nepal