Actresses Advithi and Ashwith Shetty lend support to rescued sloth bear

Bengaluru: Actresses Advithi Shetty and Ashwithi Shetty who are well-known in the Kannada film industry, visited the Wildlife SOS Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre in Bannerghatta to extend their support and spread awareness about sloth bear conservation.

The sister duo primarily hails from the Kannada film and TV industry, and have appeared in various works playing important roles. While Advitihi Shetty has worked in films such as 'Fan', 'Kaarmoda Saridu' and '1888', her twin sister Aswithi Shetty has appeared in movies such as 'Mr & Mrs Ramachari', 'Suli' and 'Ananthu Vs Nusrath', to name a few.

Last Saturday, the actors spent a day at the centre and were given a tour of the facility, where they participated in a lot of activities as well. Advithi and Aswithi helped the bear care staff and caregivers in preparing engaging enrichments for the bears. Ashwithi lent her hand in cutting vegetables for the bears, whereas Advithi helped the caregivers to prepare tyre enrichments for our resident bears Kuber and Bobby. This was followed by a tour of the facility, the bear hospital, and the green kitchen where eco-friendly cooking is done on-site for the resident bears.

They also engaged in an interactive session with the NGO's veterinarians and staff who talked about the painful history of abuse and cruelty inflicted upon the former 'dancing' bears and the organisation's efforts to help these animals have a better, healthier future. The visit ended with the sister duo pledging their support to the Refuse to Ride campaign of Wildlife SOS, which aims to end riding elephants for tourism purposes.

Commenting on their experience, actress Advithi Shetty said, "It is such a pleasure to be at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre because it is an excellent initiative by Wildlife SOS. There are about 64 bears who have been rescued by the organisation from a torturous past and looked after very well by the organisation. It is our request to each one of you to visit this place and support this great initiative to help these bears have a dignified life." The Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS, Kartick Satyanarayana said, "It is encouraging to see prominent figures such as Advithi and Ashwithi Shetty coming forward to support and promote our endeavour to give these bears a better life.

We were delighted to have them at our centre and show them the inner workings behind the care and upkeep of bears who have been rescued and rehabilitated." Wildlife SOS has been instrumental in saving and providing long-term care for over 600 Sloth bears rescued from the cruel 'dancing' bear tradition, poaching, as well as human-bear conflict situations. Established in 2005, the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre is jointly run by Wildlife SOS and the Karnataka Forest Department. It currently houses nearly 65 rescued bears amidst the lush greens and rocks of the dry-deciduous Bannerghatta National Park, making it the world's second-largest rescue centre for sloth bears in the world.