The Forest department successfully trapped a female sloth bear that had strayed into a rubber plantation near Varkala early Friday. The presence of the animal in areas close to the Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam border has kept the region in the grip of fear for around three months.
Luring her with a honey comb, the bear, estimated to be around 8 years old, was caught in a trap cage that was planted in Palavacode near Pallickal by around 4 a.m. The cage had been set in the plantation on Thursday evening after repeated sightings on the animal had been reported in the area for the last four days.
Listed in the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the sloth bear was captured with permission of the Chief Wildlife Warden following numerous complaints that cropped up from several places including Kulathupuzha and Chathannoor in Kollam. During the last few days, the animal was spotted in Navaikulam and Pallickal in Thiruvananthapuram. While forest officials initially considered the possibility of mischief, sightings of pug marks confirmed the presence of a bear in the region.
“While sloth bears are generally found in interior forests, the circumstances that led the animal to wander close to human habitations are yet to be ascertained,” K.I. Pradeep Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Thiruvananthapuram, said.
Following its capture, the animal was shifted to the Palode forest range office amid the frantic attempts it made to escape. A veterinary doctor soon examined the bear and certified the animal as healthy. The bear will soon be released into its natural habitat in AchenkovilThe department has decided to release the bear into its natural habitat in the Achenkovil forest range.
