After tooth extraction, all is well with Odum the bear

Veterinarians from Wildlife SOS perform a tooth-extraction procedure on Odum, a 22-year-old male sloth bear. Credit: Special arrangement

A 22-year-old male sloth bear recently underwent an hour-long tooth-extraction procedure to prevent further infection.

The bear is currently lodged at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre, jointly run by Wildlife SOS and the Karnataka Forest Department.

According to a statement issued to the press, the caretakers became anxious when an otherwise alert Odum began exhibiting signs of discomfort. He was eating less and had become less active.

Veterinary doctors with Wildlife SOS immediately conducted an X-ray, which revealed that the bear’s lower incisor was broken, causing him immense pain, stated the release. The veterinarians immediately conducted a tooth-extraction procedure, following which Odum was prescribed painkillers for a duration of five days as a part of his post-operative care. He was also kept on a semi-liquid diet of porridge for a few days after which he returned to a normal diet of porridge, eggs, fruits and dates.

‘Dancing’ bear practice ends

Working in partnership with indigenous communities and the Government of India, Wildlife SOS has been able to close the curtain on the ‘dancing’ bear practice in India in 2009. Having rescued 628 sloth bears from this barbaric practice, the organisation found these animals unfit for release into the wild because they suffered mutilation, severe physical and psychological trauma as well as chronic medical problems.

Odum was a victim of the dancing bear trade and having been malnourished and poorly cared for as a cub, he suffered from stunted growth. In 2009, Wildlife SOS rescued him from a village in Karnataka and gave him a second chance at a kind and safe life at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre.