Nabarangpur: A bear which had strayed into Dahanagaon village under Nandahandi block in this district sending panic waves among residents since Friday night was rescued Saturday.
Forest officials launched a rescue operation and finally trapped the wild animal in a cage. The cage was installed at a garden of a villager. However, another bear managed to give slip and escape. Villagers heaved a sigh of relief after the animal was captured in the cage.
Saturday morning, the animal was taken to a secluded place at Charak Van where veterinarians examined its health. The bear will be released into the wild at appropriate time, a forest official said.
Observers claimed that fast depletion in forest cover, repeated forest fires and unavailability of food and water in forests are forcing wild animals to stray into human habitats. They warned that the situation might worsen in coming days if forest officials do not take urgent steps to address the problem.
Reports said two bears had strayed into Dahanagaon village Friday night and scaled the compound wall of a villager. The two were eating fruits and sugarcane when barking of pet dogs alerted locals. This created fear among locals and they informed forest officials requesting them to save them from the wild animals.
Locals claimed that the wild animal had been straying to the backyard of a villager by scaling over the boundary wall in the evenings over past few years and consuming fruits as well as sugarcane.
A few days ago, two bears were spotted fighting with each other for food at a garden following which the panicked villagers informed forest officials. The incident was also reported in media.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest officials made a plan to capture the two wild animals and installed a cage inside the garden. The bear got trapped in the cage after it jumped over the boundary wall to enter the garden.