A young bear who was rescued from the forests of India with a severely injured leg was captured in some truly heartbreaking footage.
The little sloth bear, which has since been named Rose by her carers at a rescue centre funded by a UK animal charity, was discovered wandering alone with a missing paw.
The video clip shows the baby animal whimpering in pain and distress as she struggles to stay on her feet and walks by using her long snout as a crutch in place of her missing forelimb.
Helpless: The little sloth bear of about three months old was discovered wandering alone with a missing paw
Sad: It is believed that the bear cub, who was separate from her mother, lost her paw in a poacher’s trap
It is believed that the tiny female of about three months old lost the end of her leg in a poacher’s trap before locals in Amoni village, Bhopal alerted the Forest Department to her presence.
The bear had been making frequent visits to the village in search of food, but without the support of her mother and with an increasingly mangled leg, she was becoming progressively thinner.
Discussing the video, Alan Knight OBE, International Animal Rescue CEO, said: ‘The sight and sound of this little cub trying to walk is just pitiful.
‘She must have spent weeks in agony, from the moment when she was first caught in the snare and every single minute since then.
Distressing: The video shows the baby whimpering in pain and distress as she struggles to stay on her feet
Coming to terms: The tiny female bear uses her long snout as a crutch in place of her missing forelimb
‘The pain from the infected wound must have been excruciating.
‘In addition, this poor baby is without her mother who should still be protecting and caring for her.
‘We will never know what happened to the mother bear but Rose’s story illustrates how vulnerable wild bears are to threats from poachers, wildlife traders and smugglers.
‘Her escape from the snare may have cost her a foreleg but it probably saved her from an even more gruesome fate.
Mr Sanjay Pathak, Range Officer at Van Vihar National Park, answered the emergency call from the villagers and contacted veterinarian Dr Niraj Dahe at the Van Vihar Bear Rescue Centre.
The bear had been making visits to the village in search of food but was becoming progressively thinner
Saved: The rescue team tracked down the bear cub and caught her before she fell prey to a larger animal
The facility, managed by Wildlife SOS of India and funded by International Animal Rescue, is home to 28 rescued dancing bears – providing them with pain-free retirement away from neglect.
With the help of forest department officials, the rescue team acted swiftly to track down the vulnerable cub and catch her before she fell prey to a larger animal.
When the team found her the terrified cub was shaking violently and initial examinations revealed that her leg wound was severely infected.
The vets also found her to be extremely weak and emaciated.
Scared: The terrified cub was shaking violently when she was found and her leg wound was severely infected
The bear is being giving time to settle into her new surroundings, as she is deeply traumatised and frightened
‘Our primary focus was to prevent any secondary infection, so we put the cub on antibiotics and are treating and dressing the wound daily,’ Dr Niraj said.
‘We’re giving her some time to settle into her new surroundings, as she is currently deeply traumatised and very frightened.’
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said: ‘The villagers were right to inform the Forest Department, rather than taking matters into their own hands and we are grateful to them for alerting us to the situation.
‘It is truly heartbreaking to see this helpless young animal in such pain and I hope to see her recover from this traumatic experience, with the help of our dedicated team of vets and staff.’