Bengaluru: Two sloth bear cubs rescued two years ago from a 20-foot deep well in Tumakuru district have been named ‘Mahi’ and ‘Mithali’ in honour of Indian cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mithali Raj.
The cubs, currently housed in the Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Center near Bengaluru, have been adopted by a foster mom, another bear named Ankita.
Suspected to have been trapped inside a well in a village of Pavagada taluk for over two days, the mother of the cubs had succumbed to starvation and physical injuries. The bears were later discovered by local farmers who heard their desperate cries echoing from the well.
When rescuers arrived, they encountered the cubs clutched on to their dead mother and still nursing her. Following a formal order from the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), the bears, one male and another female and approximately 20 weeks at that time, were transferred for lifetime care to the rescue centre.
Wildlife SOS members said they christened the cubs Mahi and Mithali in honour of the cricket icons. The two orphans, just like their namesakes, have braved all odds and emerged victorious in the face of adversities,” a SOS member explained.
