A sloth bear died after it was caught in a snare set up by poachers in a forest fringe area in the Palamaner range. It came to light on Thursday.
According to information, the sloth bear was seen caught in the snare in a forest location close to Komativani Kunta tank near Mosallamdugu village of Palamaner mandal.
Hearing its agonized shrieks, some villagers ventured into the thickets and found it battling for life. The forest watchers informed the matter to the higher officials.
Senior officials from Chittoor and Palamaner rushed to the spot, however the process was delayed. As none could go near the trapped bear that was suffering from dehydration.
Information was passed on to the veterinary team in Tirupati to rescue the animal by tranquilising it.
Forest Range Officer (Palamaner) B. Srinivasulu told The Hindu that before the arrival of the rescue party, the bear died. “It was a male bear aged about 2 years. The carcass was cremated after post-mortem,” he said.
The villagers said that the population of sloth bears had considerably increased in the region between Palamaner and Kuppam, the core belt of the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary, in the recent years.
Divisional Forest Officer S. Ravishankar said that hearing the cries of the trapped bear, a lone elephant too had reached the spot and this might have led to heightening of fear in the bear.
Sloth bear, predominantly seen in the forests of Indian subcontinent, is listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List.
