Nuapada: Residents of ward 19 near Khariar Road in Nuapada district are a panicked lot after bears were seen roaming their streets Saturday evening.
Locals said a female bear along with two cubs ventured into the human settlement. They were seen running across the road. The incident was captured in mobile phones.
Panicked locals closed down shops and business establishments to avoid any man-animal conflict.
On being informed, forest department officials reached the spot and launched a drive to coerce away the animals into the forest.
While patrolling in the area has been stepped up, the risk these animals pose to human lives and subsequent human reaction on the wild animals cannot be underestimated. Man-animal conflict is nothing new in this district.
The bears were last seen near the railway station in ward 19.
In view of innumerable cases of wild animal attacks on humans and subsequent poisoning and poaching efforts by locals here, denizens have requested the forest department to catch the animals and set them free in their natural habitat.
PNN