Hier der Bericht der dt. Sektion von WSPA:
Tragisches Unglück im Bärenschutzzentrum Kund Park in Pakistan
Aug 5, 2010
"Von den Überschwemmungen in Pakistan, die durch die stärksten Monsunregenfälle seit 1929 verursacht wurden, ist auch das Bärenschutzzentrum Kund Park betroffen. Die Wasserhöhe erreichte dort 18 Meter über dem Normalstand. Bis zuletzt hatten die Tierpflegerinnen und -pfleger vor Ort ausgeharrt, doch auch sie mussten vor dem steigenden Wasserstand schließlich fliehen. Mehr als 1000 Menschen sind bislang durch die Fluten umgekommen."
Nur drei der dort lebenden 23 Bären konnten in Sicherheit gebracht werden. Das Schicksal der anderen Bären war bis vor ein paar Tagen noch ungewiss. Erst diese Woche konnten die Mitarbeiter der WSPA Mitgliedsorganisation Biosource Research Centre (BRC), die das Zentrum leiten, wieder in das Gebiet zurück, das sie zu ihrer eigenen Sicherheit verlassen mussten als die Gegend kilometerweit unter Wasser stand.
Nach Wochen voller Angst und Sorge haben sich nun ihre schlimmsten Befürchtungen bestätigt. Alle anderen 20 Bären sind in den Fluten ertrunken – die 3 geretteten Bären wurden in das neue, noch nicht fertiggestellte Bärenschutzzentrum in Balkasar gebracht. Dort befinden sie sich in Sicherheit. Das Zenrum in Kund kann wahrscheinlich aufgrund des Ausmaßes der Zerstörung nicht wieder eröffnet werden.
Aug 20, 2010
Sadly, WSPA must report some distressing news from our bear baiting project in Pakistan. The recent floods have severely affected the Kund Park sanctuary, resulting in the tragic death of 20 of the 23 bears living there.
The death of these much-loved bears has devastated BRC and WSPA staff and we know it will be equally upsetting for our supporters.
Suzi Morris, WSPA UK Director said: “I hope it is of some comfort to know that it was the generosity of WSPA supporters that allowed the final chapter of these bears’ lives to be one of peace and tranquillity, safe from the violence and fear of bear baiting.”
Rescue against the odds
Initially it was feared that all of the 23 bears at Kund Park had been lost but Babu, Maylu and Sohrab were found alive in the floodwaters.
In difficult circumstances, BRC staff transported them to the near-complete, new sanctuary at Balkasar. It is now more urgent than ever that building work on the Balkasar sanctuary is finished and the team at BRC are working flat out to achieve this.
Over the past few weeks the world has watched as heavy monsoons have caused the worst floods in Pakistan for 80 years. At the time of writing, up to 14 million people have been affected by the floods and an estimated 1,600 have lost their lives.
The damage to the Kund Park sanctuary is so severe that is seems unlikely that it can be rebuilt in the near future, perhaps at all.
Thanks to WSPA supporters, the new Balkasar sanctuary is due to be completed in October and will have the capacity to provide a home for Babu, Maylu and Sohrab and for the remaining bears still being used to fight in bear baiting arenas.
Why was the sanctuary so badly hit?
The Kund Park sanctuary is located between the Indus and Kabul Rivers in North-West Frontier Province, the epicentre of the recent floods.
A flood warning system was in place but the dramatic rise in floodwaters – reaching 60ft above river level – did not give BRC staff enough time to remove the bears from danger. The team did all they could to try to secure the safety of the bears by moving them to higher ground, staying at the sanctuary for as long as possible before they had to evacuate for their own personal safety.
Tireless search and rescue
As soon as the floodwaters receded, Fakhar and his team worked around the clock to search for the bears. Three bears were found alive but after days of searching, they had to face the devastating realisation that 20 of their beloved bears were confirmed dead.
WSPA is extremely impressed by the fortitude of BRC staff and their response to such a devastating tragedy. Many of the local staff were personally affected, some losing their homes to the floods, but this did not stop their dedication to securing the safety of the bears they have spent years caring for.
Amongst the drowned bears were names that WSPA supporters will know well
Star rescued only months earlier from the horrors of bear baiting, thanks to BRC and the wonderful response of WSPA supporters to a recent appeal.
Marvie in October 2009 , you can still see traces caused by the bair baiting on her muzzle...Lailah: saved from bear baiting in 2008 and featured in a WSPA appeal.
Rustam, liberated by Victor Watkins, WSPA’s bear expert, in 2001 , the oldest and the first bearbaiting bear to live in Kund Park Sanctuary. 
Dewa and her brother Babu in December 2008 at appr. 10 months, they were con+fiscated from poachers. Babu is one of the 3 bears who could be rescued from the floodsThe other two lucky survivors are three year old Maylu was rescued in 2006, saved from the black market bear trade. Sohrab is a two year old Asiatic black bear who had been living peacefully at the Kund Park sanctuary since 2007.
"Residents of the surrounding villages spotted the bears and alerted BRC staff. Despite inaccessible roads and vague information on the locations, the staff bravely ventured into the flooded areas in search of the bears.
Although much of BRC's equipment was destroyed in the floods, the staff managed to obtain dart guns and tranquiliser medication from local authorities, so that they could rescue the bears. Once sedated, the bears - accompanied by a BRC veterinarian - were transported to the site of our new Balkasar sanctuary. ...
As can be expected, the bears were very stressed when they first recovered from their sedatives. They started to calm down once the water pools in their dens were working and their health is being closely monitored by the BRC veterinarian.
The new Balkasar sanctuary will eventually have the capacity to not only provide a home for Babu, Maylu and Sohrab, but for the remaining 70 or so bears still being used to fight in bear baiting arenas.It is now more urgent than ever that building work on the Balkasar sanctuary is completed..."
Let's hope that WSPA will get help and sufficient donations to continue their important work...
Sources and related articles:
- Tragisches Unglück im Bärenschutzzentrum Kund Park in Pakistan/WSPA Deutschland 24.08.2010
- More news on the bears rescued from the Pakistan floods/Bricks for bears 24.08.2010
- Pakistan floods ravage bear sanctuary/ WSPA International 20.08.2010
- Pakistan Floods have ravaged Bear Sanctuary/Current TV 25.08.2010 & comments
- Bear rescued from Pakistan floods/WSPA video 23.08.2010 on YouTube
- Pakistan Bears caught in the rush for a good rescue story/The Independent 25.03. 2001
Photo credits:
- Working to end bear baiting/ WSPA album on flickr
Related Videos :
- Bear baiting 17 July 2009-WSPA
- WSPA Funded Kund Park Bear Sanctuary - The Cruel Practice of Bear Baiting
Auf Deutsch zum Thema Bärenkämpfe - Barbarischer Sport/Kampagne WSPA Deutschland
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