http://www.wspa.org.uk/index.php?page=1478
Rescue / Sanctuaries
Kund Park Bear Sanctuary
The WSPA built sanctuary, Kund Park, in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, received the first bear to be confiscated from a bear baiting event following the 2001 decree enforcing a ban on bear baiting. To date, there are seven bears in the sanctuary with the newest resident, Sutaiel, arriving in December 2004.
On completion of the sanctuary in 2000, WSPA handed the running of the sanctuary over to the authorities in the North West Frontier province.
Rustam, a male Himalayan black bear, approximately 15 years old, was confiscated after being used in a savage bear-dog fight at Khan Bela, south Pakistan in 2000 and has proved one of the sanctuary’s greatest success stories.
WSPA alerted authorities to the fight in Khan Bela and photographed it from the air, leading to the subsequent imprisonment of two of the organisers.
The sanctuary ensures that on arrival all bears are:
- Quarantined for several weeks
- Vaccinated against infections such as hepatitis and distemper
- Checked for worms and external parasites
Sanctuary Surroundings
Following a period in quarantine, the bears are introduced to one of the large wooded enclosures that form the main part of the sanctuary.
For Rustam, Kund Park will be his permanent retirement home, since as a tame bear without most of his teeth, he could never adapt to life in the wild.
WSPA continues to liaise with the Pakistan government urging it to clamp down on illegal bear baiting activities and re-house confiscated bears in the WSPA-built sanctuary. WSPA is also available to provide technical advice whenever necessary.