Cuttack, June 29: Animal rights and wildlife activists have demanded withdrawing of cases registered against Ramsingh Munda in connection with Rani, a sloth bear rescued from him recently.

Ramsingh, a tribal of Rutisila village in Ghatagaon block in Keonjhar district, was arrested by wildlife officials for violating the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, by rearing and domesticating a bear cub. He is now released on bail.

“The charges against Ramsingh ought to be dropped immediately and an opportunity to work at the Nandankanan zoo to look after Rani and other animals be given to him after withdrawing the case,” People for Animals (Orissa) secretary J.B. Das appealed in a memorandum to chief minister Naveen Patnaik. “The arrest was ill conceived as the motive of the tribal was to save an orphan bear cub.” Wildlife Society of Orissa secretary Biswajit Mohanty alleged that the Ramsingh case betrayed the forest department’s “double standards”. Mohanty said at least 104 mammals and 82 reptiles received at the zoo since 1995 are rescued, confiscated or abandoned specimens. While many of these specimens died “due to improper care” others have been kept under “cruel and unhealthy conditions”.