Bear trapped in Kotagiri released into forest

According to the Forest Department, bear menace was reported in areas such as Sunshine Nagar, Kakkula and S Kaikatty over the last few months. A group of three bears frequented these areas, broke into houses and grocery shops to consume eatables. In the latest incident on March 17, the bears entered a temple and damaged properties.

Following this, the Forest Department placed a trap with fruits and honey as bait in the temple premises. On Friday early morning, three bears visited the spot and one among them was trapped in the cage. The bear, which was trapped in the cage, continuously roared in fury. Meanwhile, two other animals, which accompanied it, refused to leave the place. On hearing their loud noise, the villagers went to the spot and informed the Forest Department.

A team of Forest Department staff led by forest ranger Srinivasan and anti-poaching watchers rushed to the spot and chased away the two bears into forest cover by lighting fire torch.

The trapped bear was a seven-year-old female bear. “As one of the bear has been caught, two others would shift elsewhere and people need not get panicked. However, the Forest Department staff will patrol the neighbourhood as a precautionary measure,” said an official. The trapped bear was then released safely at Avalanche forest area.