Amazing Wildlife Team Rescues Sloth Bear Injured by Explosive Bait Trap (PHOTOS)

Tens of millions of animals are killed every year at the hands of poachers. Motivated by the lucrative black market trade of animal parts, these hunters will go to any length to get what they desire. They leave nets in the water to capture turtles, they set up traps and snares for animals to stumble upon, and sometimes, when at a close enough distance, they simply shoot these creatures down.

Recently in India, animal rescue organization, Wildlife S.O.S., responded to a call about a sloth bear who was critically injured by an explosive that poachers had left in his path. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found that the explosive device had gone off in the bear’s mouth, causing a severe internal fracture to the bear’s jaw. It was clear that the bear was in excruciating pain and needed immediate medical attention.

When the four-member rescue team arrived at the bear’s location, they quickly deduced that the animal’s wounds were internal and had been caused by biting into a food-bait explosive. 

As the co-founder of Wildlife S.O.S explained in a press release, “These crude, locally made bombs are concealed inside food baits and curious wild animals are tricked into biting into them…This is illegal under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972…”

They immediately tranquilized the creature to put him out of his pain, lifted him into a transport cage, and headed towards the medical center. 

The bear is currently in critical condition and is undergoing medical treatment at the veterinary center. Sadly, Wildlife S.O.S is unsure whether this bear will survive. 

We hope that this bear is able to make a full recovery! No animal deserves this immense pain simply for trying to survive in their natural habitat. 

Whatever the fate of this bear is, Wildlife S.O.S is working tirelessly to try to find the culprits of this crime and continue working to prevent incidents like this from happening again. Poaching is a tremendous problem around the world that is leading to the extinction of several animal species. While these occurrences happen far away from us, and may seem like too big of a problem to tackle, we can all play a part in putting an end to this cruel practice. To learn more about what you can to help stop wildlife poaching, click here.

All image source: Wildlife S.O.S