Jharigaon: Residents of Ranichachara village under Ratakhandiguda panchayat under Jharigaon block in Nabarangpur district heaved a sigh of relief after a bear which entered their village was caught by forest department personnel in an eight-hour-long rescue operation Friday night.
According to a source, the villagers got terrified after spotting a wild bear roaming in the village. At about 10pm, some villagers gathered courage and tried to chase away the wild animal from the village. The bear, to save its life, ran into a thatched house of a villager identified as Yogendra Santa instead of going out of the village.
With the situation getting more serious, the entire village had to remain awake as they feared the wild animal might injure them.
With no option left, the terrified villagers contacted the forest department. Later, Medana forester Govind Nayak along with some forest department personnel and a special team reached the village and launched a rescue operation to catch the animal.
They managed to catch the bear in a cage but success came after an eight-hour-long operation. The bear is said to be five years old.
The villagers thanked the forest department officials for their prompt response and quick action. “Had the bear not been caught, some of us might have been injured already,” a local man said.
“After a thorough health check-up, we will release the bear in its natural habitat Saturday,” informed a forest department official.
PNN
