A senior forest official said that an order was issued on Tuesday, 23 January, by the Chief Wildlife Warden to tranquilise the bear.
Published Jan 24, 2024 | 12:33 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 24, 2024 | 12:33 PM
Adult bear in Wayanad. (iStock)
An adult sloth bear has been on the loose in the high-range district of Wayanad, Kerala, for the last three days, creating panic among the public as it entered a home to steal sugar and continued to elude efforts of the Forest Department officials to capture it.
According to forest officials, the bear was last seen at around 3:30 am on Wednesday, 24 January, near Panamaram, Wayanad, which is close to a forested area.
Officials said that there was a chance that the bear may venture back into the forest, but a large team, including a Rapid Response Team, veterinarians, and district forest officers (DFOs), are combing the area for the animal.
A senior forest official said that an order was issued on Tuesday by the Chief Wildlife Warden to tranquilise the bear. “However, we will not just dart it on sight. We will do so only if it is crucial. We will not dart it unnecessarily,” the official said.
The bear entered the habited areas of the district on 21 January and was caught on various CCTV cameras.
Visuals on TV channels later showed it running through a large field as locals made noises to scare it away. Amidst this, a local resident unknowingly landed up before the bear and in his panic-stricken efforts to escape to safety, he fell down, and suffered injuries.
The bear, on the other hand, has not attacked anyone and only broke into a house and stole some sugar, the forest official said.
The elusive bear is only the latest among repeated reported incidents of wild animals, including tigers and elephants, venturing into the habited areas of the high-range district.
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