Guwahati: Two Asiatic black bear cubs, orphaned and rescued earlier this year in Assam, have been successfully rehabilitated and released into the wild at Dehing Patkai National Park, forest officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The cubs were first spotted in February inside Dissoi Reserved Forest in Jorhat district by a local youth, who handed them over to the Na-Kachari Beat Office under Jorhat Forest Division. At the time, they were barely four to six weeks old and alone.
Subsequent searches failed to trace their mother.
To ensure their survival, the cubs were moved to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga for specialised care. Under the supervision of veterinarian Bhaskar Choudhury and his team, the animals were treated for dehydration and nurtured in a small mammal nursery.
They were initially fed on a canine milk substitute and later gradually conditioned for life in the wild, with minimal human contact to preserve natural behaviour.
Selecting a suitable release site involved a detailed scientific survey. Dissoi Reserved Forest was ruled out due to its proximity to human settlements and high disturbance levels.
After assessing habitat quality, prey availability and community awareness, Dehing Patkai National Park emerged as the most viable option.
The park’s dense vegetation, rich biodiversity and low human interference made it ideal for the cubs’ reintegration.
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Formal approval for the release was granted on June 4 by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam.
The CWRC team carried out the translocation on August 17, giving the young bears a renewed chance to survive in their natural habitat.
CWRC, located in Kaziranga, has been rehabilitating displaced wildlife since 2002 as part of a joint initiative of the Assam Forest Department, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
