Pakke, 3rd April 2026: In back-to-back incidents, two male Asiatic black bear cubs have been given a new lease of life after being rescued in separate incidents and brought to safety at the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC), located within the Pakke Tiger Reserve.

The first cub, barely 4-5 weeks old, was found in Keyi Panyor by a local resident last week. Acting swiftly, the individual informed authorities, leading to the cub’s safe transfer under the supervision of Dr. Sorang Tadap, a veterinarian from the Itanagar Zoological Park.

The cub was found by a local resident and handed over to the local authorities| Photo © Team WTI

In a separate incident, another bear cub, estimated to be 6-7 weeks old, was found stranded in an agricultural field in Borduria Village, under the Deomali Forest Division. The cub had likely been separated from its mother due to jhum (slash-and-burn) cultivation or a forest fire. The information was promptly communicated by Wanghoan Lettey, a villager, to the range forest office. Despite the efforts of the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, the mother bear could not be located. As both cubs are too young to survive on their own in the wild, they have been admitted to CBRC for further care.

The cubs are now under close observation at CBRC | Photo © Subhasish Arandhara/WTI

Mr. Dhawan Kumar Rawat, IFS, DFO, Pakke Tiger Reserve, said, “The cubs are currently under close observation. At CBRC, the bears will receive essential care and nurturing until they are prepared to return to the wild.”

Under the guidance of Dr. Panjit Basumatary and our team at the CBRC, the rehabilitation of the young bears will follow a carefully structured process. This will include hand-raising during the early stages, gradual weaning onto natural diets, and supervised exposure to forest environments. These steps will help them develop survival instincts while minimising dependence on humans. Once fully prepared, the cubs will be released into a suitable forest habitat, giving them the opportunity to thrive in the wild.

Under the care of the WTI-IFAW team, the cubs will undergo a rehabilitation process to help them return to the wild| Photo © Subhasish Arandhara/WTI

CBRC is the only facility in India dedicated to hand-raising and rehabilitating orphaned bear cubs. It is jointly run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Arunachal Pradesh. To date, more than 40 such orphaned Asiatic black bear cubs have been given a second chance to return to their natural habitat.

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