Signing off 2014 with the Sloth Bears of Daroji

My expectation was to see the Bears at close quarers like the Tigers.But at Daroji you are taken to a hillock and shown the bears feeding on another hillock around 500 meters away.The 55-250 looked in adequate!At Daroji the bears are fed by the forest department since its inception in 1994.They smear honey on the rocks at "Karadi Kalgutta",a rocky terrain within the sanctuary and the tourists are taken to the spot while they are being fed.Discussions are going on whether to stop the feeding since that makes the bears dependent on humans and may lose their basic instincts.

Canon 400D,55-250IS,ISO 400,f7.1,1/320 cropped

Regards

nice one shankar sab..three in a go...wish you happy and prosperous new year with lots of exciting moments in the jungles....:)

TFS
Roopak

Thanks Roopakji for the nice wishes....

A very Happy New Year..:D..!!

Nice. This feeding practice is going on for a long time. When we had gone there in 2007, it was the same. Availability of food for the bears in the wild is less, due to the growing human population. So it is a debatable issue if this feeding practice should be stopped or not. Thanks for sharing.

I was told that one of the forest rangers was feeding the bears a full South Indian thali spread. Later that got stopped and since then only honey and jaggery smeared on the rocks which are supposed to act as nutrition supplement.

If fruit bearing trees are planted which can give sufficient fruits in all months and seasons, then there won't be any need to feed the bears.

Wish you all a Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Sabyasachi