SLOTH BEARS AND HUMANS: DANCING, QALANDERS AND ATTACKS

SLOTH BEARS AND HUMANS

Humans utilize sloth bear gall bladders, bile and fat for traditional medicine. Sloth bears sometimes enter crop fields such as maize. They also have a reputation for being unpredictable and aggressive They are said to be the most dangerous wild animal in Central India. When they are in human territory, or vice versa, numerous human casualties occur. One study found that between April 1989 and March 1994, there were 735 victims of sloth bear assaults and 48 were fatal. [Source: Animal Diversity Web (ADW)]

As is the case for many species, the destruction of sloth bears' habitats is a major cause for their rapidly declining numbers. Sri Lanka has lost about 1.85 million hectacres of natural high forest between 1956-1983. Reasons for the destruction include agricultural and developmental plans. An indirect threat to this species is the destruction of termite mounds for fine soil for tennis courts. Termites are a main source of food for these bears. These bears have also been hunted because of their reputation for aggression and crop destruction/

Indian researcher K. Yoganand has studied sloth bears for more than ten years. John L. Eliot wrote in National Geographic: One goal of his research has been to track the roamings of a dozen radio-collared bears in the dry deciduous forests of India's Panna National Park. He's discovered that some bears have home ranges of up to 40 square miles (100 square kilometers). His conclusion: "We need to protect large patches of their habitat and maintain links between those patches. Unfortunately sloth bears have to compete with charismatic species such as tigers. The bears get far less attention than they deserve." To avoid hostile encounters with sloth bears he tell villagers: "Attacks can be prevented if people avoid certain places."

Dancing Sloth Bears

Sloth bears are the original dancing bears. For centuries they have been captured by Qalanders, an itinerant group of performers, and taken from village to village to performer for handouts from villagers. The bears are trained to do tricks as well as dance. To keep them under control the bears often have a ring through bones of the animal’s nose, mouth and muzzle. The original dancing bear reportedly began dancing after eating fermented Mohwa tree flowers. Today a pull on the rope is all that is necessary to get a bear to "dance" in pain.

Some Qalander traders live near forest where the bears live. Cubs are abducted by poachers from their dens when they are three to five weeks old and typically sold at markets when they are three months old for around $100. Sometimes well-trained bears can fetch $600. Studies have shown that urban people and tourists are most interested in seeing the bears dance. Rural people just want to see a bear because they believe the bear will protect their of children from evil spirits.

In India there are around a thousand dancing sloth bears. Animal welfare groups are working with Qalandars to try to convince them to give up their bears.

In May 2006 AP reported: Amsterdam Sloth bears at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Holland treed a Barbary Macaque (a monkey sometimes referred to as a Barbary Ape) and then ate it in front of horrified zoo-goers. A zoo statement confirmed the incident. "In an area where Sloth bears, great apes and Barbary macaques have coexisted peacefully for a long time, the harmony was temporarily disturbed during opening hours on Sunday." Apparently several Sloth bears chased the Barbary macaque into an electric fence, where it was stunned. It then fled onto a wooden structure, where one bear pursued and mauled it to death. Other bears then consumed the simian. [Source: AP, - May 15, 2006]

Dancing Sloth Bears and Their Owners

Ammu Kannampilly of AFP wrote: “The tradition of forcing sloth bears to dance for entertainment dates back to the 13th century, when trainers belonging to the Muslim Kalandar tribe enjoyed royal patronage and performed before the rich and powerful. Descendants of the tribe from central India had kept the tradition alive, buying bear cubs from poachers for about 1,200 rupees ($22) and then hammering a heated iron rod through their sensitive snouts. After removing the animal's teeth and claws, the bear trainer threaded a rope through its snout and then headed for the streets where onlookers would pay a few rupees for a show in which the bear would sway and jump around.[Source: Ammu Kannampilly, AFP, December 2, 2012]

“One of the owners to give up was Mohammed Afsar Khan, a 30-year-old father of three girls who used to work with his father and brother travelling across central India with three bears in tow. He says he used to earn about 300 rupees a day until he gave up the job six years ago. "It's a hard life. You can never settle in one place, your children can't go to school, you end up feeling trapped. Then you are always worried about police harassing you for bribes," he said.

“The bears recovered by animal groups were often in a wretched state, suffering from infected snouts, root canal problems, even diseases such as tuberculosis which they contracted from humans. The sloth bears also suffer from malnutrition after being fed bread, lentils and milk for years, leading to an extremely reduced life span.

Vivek Menon from the non-profit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) told AFP that the dancing bear industry was also "a dominant cause behind the disappearance of the sloth bear" — a focus at the bear conference which focused on conservation and welfare. In the last three decades, the number of sloth bears has fallen by at least 30 percent, according to the IUCN-SSC Bear Specialist Group (BSG). There are now less than 20,000 of them. "The widespread poaching of bear cubs and the killing of mother bears clearly affects the population of the species," Menon told AFP.

Qalanders: the Caste of Dancing Bear Handlers

The Qalanders are itinerant people who travel from village to villager with performing animals. Found throughout South Asia, particularly in northern India and Pakistan, they do rope climbing, magic tricks, puppetry, tightrope walking, music and tricks with trained animals. [Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia” , edited by Paul Hockings (C.K. Hall & Company]

There are several tens of thousands Qalanders. They share a number of characteristics with the Roma (Gypsies): a similar language and similar nomadic habits. The Qalanders are very good with languages. Many of them can speak five or more languages. They are mostly illiterate. Their nomadic lifestyle precludes attending schools. The Qalanders have a very long history. Entertainers with bears and monkeys are mentioned in texts from the Vedic era (1000 to 700 B.C.) They are also mentioned in many old folk tales and histories.

Qalanders have traditionally viewed the world in terms of themselves and outsiders and prefer to keep their relations with outsiders limited to business and entertainment situations. They typically have a normal circuit and try to visit every village and town on that circuit twice a year. They try to vary their routine and visit when it is not expected so as to generate an element of surprise and novelty to their visits. The Qalanders have carefully studied the customs of the villagers they visit and have tried to figure out the best way to exploit them. At the same times they are reluctant to reveal information about themselves, lest their lifestyle be altered. Thus little is known about them.

One survey in the mid 1980s found that 15 percent of Qalander families owned bears. The preferred animal was a Kashmiri black bear, which has a distinctive white V on its chest. A few had larger Asian brown bears. There are more dangerous and difficult to maintain. Both species are not adapted to the climate of India and suffer in the heat. Irritated bears have killed their handlers with a single blow or attack. [Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia”, edited by Paul Hockings (C.K. Hall & Company]

Audiences like the bear routine because they are interesting and carry an element of danger and they often earn the most money. The wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir have made obtaining bears difficult and many bear handling families have turned to rhesus monkeys (macaques).

See Separate Article QALANDERS AND ENTERTAINER CASTES factsanddetails.com

India's 'Dancing Bears' Forced Retire by Animal Rights Activists

Ammu Kannampilly of AFP wrote: “The sight of poorly fed and badly treated bears being forced to dance on the streets of India is a thing of the past as a campaign to wipe out the practice has finally borne fruit, activists say. "It's taken us many years but all the tribesmen we keep track of have moved on to different livelihoods,"Vivek Menon from the non-profit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), told AFP. "The tradition might still be present in people's minds, of course, but we don't know of any cases where Kalandars are still practising it." [Source: Ammu Kannampilly, AFP, December 2, 2012]

“The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and India-based Wildlife SOS, which runs sanctuaries for bears, have also declared an end to the practice in the last few months — 40 years after a government ban in 1972. The key, say the donation-funded groups, has been bringing the Kalandars on board, providing them with money and incentives to re-train in other professions. The success points the way for other campaigns, such as the one to rid India of its snake charmers who can still be spotted illegally plying their trade, often with the snakes' mouths sewn shut. "It was very difficult to convince the bear trainers to give up their work. Most of them were very scared, they have never known any other way of life but this," WSPA campaign coordinator Aniruddha Mookerjee told AFP.

“Mohammed Afsar Khan handed over his bears to Wildlife Trust of India officers, who offered his family financial assistance and helped him and his younger brother learn driving skills. He used the funds to rent a tractor and ferry bricks from kilns to construction sites in Chhattisgarh state. Today, he owns his tractor and earns about 500 rupees a day. "India is changing rapidly and this is an outmoded, inhumane tradition. The trainers themselves realise now that it is far easier for them to earn a living doing other jobs," Menon said.

“Aziz Khan is another former bear-owner who never expected to leave his ancestral trade but was happy for the way out offered by WTI when officers approached him and his friends more than a decade ago. "I didn't earn much, but I was afraid to leave it. I didn't know how else I would be able to feed my three kids," the 45-year-old told AFP. WTI helped retrain Aziz Khan and his friends as bakers. They now run their own bakery, producing 350 loaves of bread each day. "I have no regrets today, it was a dead-end job and I am glad I was able to move on," he said.

Sloth Bear Attacks

Sloth bears are very dangerous for humans. In hostile encounters with people sloth bears often attack the head. Villagers get raked with the bear’s large claws and their face becomes a pulpy mess. In some places more people are injured by encounters with sloth bears than tigers. These places usually have large human populations that encroach on bear territory.

In Panna National Park in central India, 80 people were attacked by sloth bears between 1980 and 1997 and three were killed. Many attacks occurred because a bear was absorbed in what it was doing and was suddenly disturbed by a human. A sloth bears usual response to such a surprise is to launch a terrifying mock charge, followed by roaring and an upright display. Usually the bear backs down but sometimes it will attack. If confronted by a sloth bear one should make a big ruckus. This usually scares it off. Be particularly careful around a mother with cubs. If a bear does attack some recommend playing dead.

David O’Conner wrote in National Geographic: “If a bear feels threatened, it will launch a swift and vicious attack that will send even a hungry tiger running. Such ferocity doesn't help unsuspecting people who surprise a bear in the forest. Three-inch-long (eight-centimeter-long) digging claws with 150 to 300 pounds (70 to 140 kilograms) of angry bear behind them can leave devastating wounds. Often when humans stumble upon a tiger or a leopard, the big cat will run away — providing it's not hunting. A startled bear, however, will attack. That, plus the horrific wounds they can inflict, explains why people in some areas of India are more afraid of the insect-eaters than the carnivores.”

Human-sloth bear conflict was the subject of a one year study between June 2007 and July 2008 in Jessore Sanctuary and also in the Mount Abu Sanctuary in India. It revealed that there were human casualties due to attack by bears. Thirty attacks on humans by sloth bears took place in the forest, villages and crop fields, with male humans being attacked more than females and summer season recording the maximum number followed by monsoon and winter. Crop damage of varying degree by bears was also reported. This has caused fear among the villagers. However, under these conditions of threat to life and crops, the bears may be killed under the law to protect life or property. [Source: Wikipedia]

Sloth Bear Kills Husband and Wife Near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu

In 2015, a 52-year-old estate worker who was attacked by a sloth bear while attempting to save his wife from the animal near Kotagiri in Tamil Nadu, was killed. ENS reported: A wild bear mauled to death a 50-year-old woman, Mathi, at a tea estate in Thothamokke near Kotagiri. It also attacked two others, Halan (52) — husband of Mathi and Kumar (24), who tried to save the woman from the animal. Both of them were admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for treatment. But despite medical care, Halan died in the hospital. [Source: ENS, March 25, 2015]

“The animal also attacked a forest watcher Karunamurthy and forester Stalin before being gunned down by forest officials.According to hospital sources, Karunamurthy was admitted to the CMCH with a suspected bullet injury sustained while the bear was being shot by forest officials. However, scan reports revealed that he sustained injuries due to piercing of the bear's nails. He is currently undergoing treatment for the injury.

There were other incidents involving sloth bears. The Indian Express reported: “According to A Karunanidhi, resident of Rob Roy area, “The public is unable to walk freely even during day time. My sister luckily escaped from a bear attack recently.”“She was fetching water near our house when a bear ran furiously towards her. However, she ran away and entered the house and locked the door immediately. Following her screams, locals chased away the animal,” said Karunanidhi. [Source: S Senthi Kumar, Indian Express, March 27, 2015]

“K Soundarapandian, District Forest Officer (DFO), Nilgiris (North), confirmed that increase in the wild animal population is also one of the factors for man-animal conflicts. “He advised that the public should keep a fire torch or a torch light to prevent untoward incidents. “The DFO said, “A sloth bear ventured into residential areas near Kotagiri after it was attracted by fruit trees. Usually, the animal will return back to the forest after eating the fruits. But, the animal began to stay in the tea bushes itself as they find it an ideal place.” “Wild animal attacks against humans is happening only in places other than non-tribal settlements. So far, there is no attack against tribal people,” he said.

“Wildlife activists have pointed out that the increase in animal population and linear intrusions are the major factors attributed to a rise in man-animal conflicts in Udhagamandalam.N Mohanraj, wildlife activist and environmentalist, told Express that beside wildlife habitat in the hill areas that was converted into patta lands during the British rule, the current linear intrusions like road projects, erecting of power lines and construction of canals, are still progressing rapidly. “As a result, forest areas are chopped into segments which diverted the regular routes of wild animals. Development works every day in the hill areas, has put enormous pressure on the animals, and there is no other choice for the wild animals but to enter residential areas,” said Mohanraj.

“He also said that food source for wild animals is also low in the forests, which has also added to the increase in man-animal conflict. Jayachandran, Joint Secretary, Tamil Nadu Green Movement, opined that the increase in man-animal conflict is a result of the rise in the population of wild animals. “There is less forest habitat for wild animal survival, and as a result, they enter residential areas leading to man-animal conflict,” he said.

Man-Eating Sloth Bear of Mysore

Listverse reported: Although sloth bears maul many humans in India every year (one per week according to some), they rarely eat their victims. In fact, they rarely eat meat at all, and prefer to feed on termites and fruits, and are particularly fond of honey. However, there was a Sloth Bear that became infamous for being a man-killer. There are some very strange legends about the origins of the Mysore Killer Bear; some say that the bear was a male and that he had originally abducted a girl as his mate. The girl was rescued by villagers and the bear went into a killing spree as revenge. [Source: TyB, Listverse, October 16, 2010]

“Another, more believable version says the bear was a female whose cubs had been killed by humans, and that she became a man-killer to avenge them. However, most experts today believe that the bear was probably injured by humans, and became abnormally aggressive as a result. The bear attacked three dozen people in the Indian state of Mysore. In typical Sloth Bear fashion, it would rip the victim’s face off with its claws and teeth, and those who survived were often left completely disfigured. 12 of the victims died, and three of them were devoured, something extremely unusual. The bear was eventually killed by Kenneth Anderson, a famed big game hunter, although the beast was very evasive and three hunts had to be arranged before the animal was finally brought down.

Sloth Bear Kills and Eats Couple in Madhya Pradesh

In June 2022, a sloth bear mauled a couple to death in a forest in central India's Madhya Pradesh and then spent hours eating their remains. Wildlife conservationists said the attack was very unusual. While sloth bear do attacks people on occasion they do generally eat them. CBS News reported: The attack took place when a man and his wife were returning home from a temple visit early in the morning. The sloth bear first attacked the woman as the couple walked through the Panna National Park forest, killing her. Her husband was killed when he tried to rescue his wife .Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Sharma was quoted by India's NDTV network as saying the attack happened around 6:30 in the morning after the couple went "to offer prayers at a temple" in the area. [Source: Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News,June 11, 2022]

Eyewitnesses told the Times of India that a crowd of villagers gathered at the spot and tried to scare the bear away by firing gunshots in the air, but it wouldn't budge, and continued eating the victims for three hours until forestry workers arrived. "This is very unusual," Neha Sinha, a conservation biologist and author, told CBS News. "Usually, sloth bears eat honey and insects."

"Generally there is conflict during mahua season, when people go to collect flowers and the bears are feeding," Sinha explained to CBS News. The mahua is a tree that grows across many parts of South Asia and flowers in the late spring and early summer. The flowers are prized by both people and sloth bears. Residents often venture into the forests to collect the flowers for sale at this time of year.

Forestry officials told Indian media outlets the bear's unusual behavior may have been due to a rabies infection. Uttam Kumar Sharma, field director of Panna National Park, was quoted by the India Today news outlet as saying the "bear seems to have been afflicted with rabies, and was in its last stages." Regional authorities said the couple's family would be given 400,000 Indian rupees ($5,100) in compensation for their loss.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025