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.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, is used to a bear at his desk.

A sloth bear at a pool. Human-bear conflicts are on the rise in several States, following the shrinking of bear habitats.

To mark their territories, sloth bears scrape trees with their forepaws and rub against them with their flanks.

At Wildlife SOS' Agra Bear Rescue Facility, bears are given unrestrained freedom.

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.

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.

Female bears deliver their young in cave-like structures in rocks and watch them round the clock.

A bear rescued from Baud, Madhya Pradesh.

A view of Masinagudi in Tamil Nadu, a natural habitat of the sloth bear.

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, with a rescued cub.

In the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. A curious gaze at the intruder.

Taking a siesta.

Venturing into the water, in the Nelliyampathi Reserve Forest.

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.

At Sambalpur in Odisha, a street play to create awareness on the importance of the conservation of sloth bears.

Children participating in a programme organised by the Zoo Outreach Organisation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on conservation and welfare of bears.

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The sloth bear. India is home to four bear species.