Establishing Former Bear Dancers in New Vocations

Hukumdin lives in the Kalandar settlement of Nagar near the tourist hub of Agra. For several decades, Hukumdin earned his living by dancing a sloth bear. In a good month, during the cold tourist season, he made the paltry sum of Rs 4000. Like most bear dancers he was born into this profession and not having been educated, the idea of another job had not occurred to him.

Given the chance, he said, he would have liked to earn a living without hurting any animals. Wildlife SOS provided him with that chance by giving him enough financial aid to set up an alternate means of income.

In 2003, when he learned of the rehabilitation program, he surrendered his bear, Ramu. With our assistance, he started making carpets at his own house. Within a few months he established himself and now supplies carpets to small scale traders. Today he is a happy man with a small business, entirely his own, and a new found place in Indian society.

Educating Children

We sponsor the education of children in seven villages. Most of these children previously did not attend schools as their parents were not aware of the importance of education or simply did not have the tuition money.

Once upon a time, Nisar was the only child going to school in his village. Naturally bright, very hard working, Wildlife S.O.S proudly sponsored his school fees and books as well as the additional tuition needed to ensure his success. He was the only boy to receive top marks in his government school exams in his first year! We simply held out a hand to someone who had the desire to lead a better life.

Our employees visit the seven villages and they regularly meet with the dozens of school children to make sure they are keeping on track.

Empowering Women and Girls

Kamini is a Kalandar girl, whose father used to be a bear dancer. Until recently, this young girl seemed to have a bleak future in store. She anticipated a quick marriage, several mouths to feed, and a lifetime of struggling to make ends meet.

The Wildlife S.O.S Vocational Training Project, with much needed financial support from the Ford Foundation, changed her life and gave her an avenue to earn an income for her family. It also gave her the courage to speak up in family matters and enjoy more respect within the family, because she too now contributed to the family’s income.

Kamini worked hard at the tailoring classes run by Wildlife SOS and moved from sample pieces to stitching her own clothes. Soon Kamini starting getting orders from the women of her village and from shopkeepers. Today she earns a satisfactory amount from tailoring bead work. All it took was the vocational training school, a lot of encouragement and a little guidance to empower Kamini and give her control of her own life.