By F. Ahmed
IANS
Achabal town (Anantnag) : A helpless sloth bear with a metal ring through the nose stood on its hind legs – fearing his master's cane – to amuse people here despite Kashmir's stringent wildlife protection laws prohibiting capture, custody and display of wild animals.
As Pyar Muhammad waved a stick to intimidate the bear, locals, students and housewives crowded around, clapping. Included among the spectators were many policemen.
"I brought my bear from Haryana in a truck. My ultimate destination is Srinagar, but en route I decided to stage a show here. The cool atmosphere of Kashmir is ideally suited for my pet as Haryana's heat had become unbearable for the animal," Muhammad said.
When informed about Thursday's bear show here, regional wildlife warden Farooq Geelani said: "Local wildlife protection laws prohibit the capture, custody or commercial display of wild animals. I am surprised why the local police hasn't informed us about this yet."
"We shall take the animal into our protection and then decide about its future. Rest assured, we shall take immediate action," Geelani told IANS.
He also admitted that the wildlife department had no check-posts anywhere in the state to stop the entry or exit of people carrying wild animals with them.
"It is the duty of the police to inform us about any such development and I wonder how they missed out on this one," Geelani added.
Asked if releasing the bear into local forests would be the right thing to do after it was taken into protective custody by the department, he said: "We will contact Delhi-based Wildlife SOS organisation to restore the sloth bear to its original habitat."
Till late 1970s, many locals earned their livelihood with roadside bear shows in the Valley. However, in the last three decades, such shows had become rare here.