The last dancing bear in Nepal who spent four gruelling months at a substandard zoo in Nepal will finally be released and sent to a specialist sloth sanctuary in India.

Late last year, two sloth bears were dramatically rescued from a life of suffering as a dancing bear in Nepal by the Jane Goodall Institute of Nepal, World Animal Protection and Nepali police. The bears were placed in temporary accommodation at Parsa National Park, intended to go to the wildlife sos (WSOS) sanctuary in India but were instead secretly moved to a substandard zoo in Kathmandu that provided terrible conditions.

The rescued bears, Rangila and Sridevi were NepalÂs last dancing bears. Tragically, one of the bears, Sridevi died whilst in the care of the zoo, which has been previously criticized for its extremely poor conditions. 

This decision by Nepalese government council (cabinet ministers) comes after months of working behind the scenes to pressure the Nepalese government toprovide vital information about RangilaÂs welfare, and continue to work for his safe release to a specialist sloth bear sanctuary.

Dr Neil DÂCruze, Senior Wildlife Advisor at World Animal Protection said after months of tirelessly working behind the scenes, Rangila will finally be moved to the specialist sanctuary in India, who can properly care and rehabilitate him.

ÂThe journey has been an emotional and gruelling one. The loss of one of the rescued bears, Sridevi, was devastating for everyone involved in her rescue. The secret move to a zoo unable to properly care for the bears was a real blow. It is a huge relief that Rangila will now live the life he deserves, free from harm and with all of the proper care he needs,ÂÂ he said.

According to Manoj Gautam, Jane Goodall Institute of Nepal after such an exceptional but dramatic rescue, it was heart breaking to see how the story took a twisted turn. “It has been a painfully slow process to release Rangila but we couldnÂt be happier to see positive results from the Nepalese government. We hope Rangila can now live the rest of his life in peace.Â

There are many unanswered questions about why the bears were moved to a zoo without consultation with World Animal Protection or Jane Goodall Institute Nepal. However, we want the government to immediately expedite the process in order for Rangila to be safely transported to the WSOS sanctuary, a joint statement said.

The suffering of bears in Asia is still not over, World Animal Protection continues its campaign to protect bears; across Asia we are working to stop the exploitation of bears used for the horrific blood sport of bear-baiting and in the cruel and unnecessary bear bile industry, where approximately 22,000 Asiatic black bears stuck in tiny cages, with permanent holes in their stomach and constantly milked for their bile. Their bile and gallbladders are dried, powdered, and sold as panacea to be used as Âtraditional medicine.’ t.he statement added