Shivamogga: To sensitise people about their role in conserving wild animals, the authorities at Tyavarekoppa-based zoo-cum-safari near Shivamogga have made a micro short animated movie titled 'Teddy, the tale of a brave little rescued bear' based on a true-life incident that took place in Shivamogga three months ago.
The movie is being screened in Zoo Vista, a small bus-turned-theatre stationed on the zoo premises and has also been uploaded on social media networking sites including the YouTube.
A few months ago, a three-year-old female bear was searching for food when it got stuck in a fence in the district. People noticed it but did not show interest in rescuing it. After a few hours, they alerted the forest officials. The forest personnel went to the spot and shifted the bear to the zoo for treatment. Finally, the left forelimb of this Teddy had to be amputated and she is recovering slowly now. The short movie is based on this rescued Teddy.
Four bears have been kept in enclosures for public viewing at the zoo and three rescued bears, including Teddy are not in enclosures.
Speaking to DH, Tyavarekoppa-based zoo-cum-safari Executive Director Amarakshara M V said the running time of the video is 3.55 minutes.
"The zoo-cum-safari's education officer Sinchana has given voice over for the video. I wrote the story of two siblings--Tunga and Shiva based on the true incident related to Teddy. We want to appeal to people to show compassion towards wild animals and not harm them. We are confident that people might realise this after seeing the short film featuring the Teddy", he added.
Amarakshara added generally, wild animals stray into human habitats seeking food or water during the summer season. There are instances where leopards have fallen into open wells while seeking water to quench their thirst. In such situations, people must alert the Forest Department and not panic. They must show some compassion towards animals and inform the officials concerned at the earliest so that the animals can be rescued.
He said the movie is receiving a good response from the people.