The Bond of Love

I will begin with Bruno my wife pet sloth bear. I gou him for her by accident. Two years ago we were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore. People were driving away the wild pigs from the fields by shooting at them. Some were shot and some escaped we thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun. Now I will not shoot a sloth bear wantonly but unfortunately shot the bear on the spot. As we watched the fallen animal we were surprised to see that the black fur on its back moved and left the prostrate body. Then we saw it was a baby bear that had been riding on its mother back when the sudden shot had killed her. The little creature ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. I ran up to it to attempt a capture. It scooted into the sugar canevfield. I was at last able to grab it by the scruff of its neck while it snapped and tried to scratch me with its long hookedb claws. We put it in one of the gunny bags we had brought and when I got back to Bangalore I duly presented it to my wife. She was delighted she at once put a coloured ribbon around its meck and after discovering the cub was a boy she christened it Bruno.