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Dispatches

Bears up close

Poaching, illegal trade in bears for their body parts, and human-bear conflicts pose a great threat to the sloth bear species, which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
The sloth bear. India is home to four bear species.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, is used to a bear at his desk.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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A sloth bear at a pool. Human-bear conflicts are on the rise in several States, following the shrinking of bear habitats.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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To mark their territories, sloth bears scrape trees with their forepaws and rub against them with their flanks.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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At Wildlife SOS' Agra Bear Rescue Facility, bears are given unrestrained freedom.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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In the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. The sloth bear is a speedy climber of trees, and this stands it in good sread in its search for honeycombs and fruits.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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At Masinagudi. Bears are mostly nocturnal animals and move around in their habitats for up to 100 square kilometres in search of fruits and insects.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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Female bears deliver their young in cave-like structures in rocks and watch them round the clock.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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A bear rescued from Baud, Madhya Pradesh.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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A view of Masinagudi in Tamil Nadu, a natural habitat of the sloth bear.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, with a rescued cub.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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In the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. A curious gaze at the intruder.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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Taking a siesta.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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Venturing into the water, in the Nelliyampathi Reserve Forest.Photo: N.A. Naseer
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A bear in captivity, a file photograph. Although a large number of dancing bears have been rescued, many are said to exist in villages along the India-Nepal border.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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At Sambalpur in Odisha, a street play to create awareness on the importance of the conservation of sloth bears.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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Children participating in a programme organised by the Zoo Outreach Organisation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on conservation and welfare of bears.Photo: By Special Arrangement
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