PESHAWAR, June 18: The Kund Park Sanctuary also known as a sanctuary for bears, which was established at the confluence of river Indus and Kabul, is serving as a refuge for bears, previously forced to live in captivity, either dancing in the streets or fighting dogs to earn a livelihood for their owners.

The bears in the sanctuary are confiscated from their owners, said Dr Mumtaz Malik, Chief Conservator Wildlife Department NWFP and National Coordinator of Anti-Bear Baiting Programme.

Spread over an area of 12 acres, the sanctuary was established with the assistance of World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA). It is the only such facility in Pakistan.

The sanctuary, Dr Malik said, also served as a deterrent to poaching and trapping of wild bears.

Bears, performing in the streets, were unable to return to the wild because their owners removed their teeth and nails to make them harmless for the owners and spectators, which also made them dependent on humans.

Every year, he said, a large number of bears were captured in the NWFP and taken to other parts of the country to be trained and used for street shows.

People involved in trapping business usually captured bear cubs after killing their mothers, he said.—APP