NILGIRIS: A sloth bear that strayed into residential areas of Kakkachi village near Kundha in Nilgiris was caught and released into the wild near Theppakkadu in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Tuesday morning.
As per sources, the sloth bear used to stray into Kakkachi, Mel Bharathi Nagar, Keel Bharathi Nagar, MGR Nagar, and Maharaja Nagar in search of food, giving the residents sleepless nights over the past few months.
The bear targeted windows and weak doors to enter houses and consumed oil and sugar. It had also strayed into grocery stores, bakeries, and even temples, attracted by the smell of oil. When alerted, Kundha forest range officials placed a cage to catch the bear on August 7 and monitored the movements of the animal.
On Tuesday, the sloth bear walked into the cage around 4.30 am. “Although the animal targeted kitchens, it did not attack anyone. We trapped the animal as it had developed a habit of frequenting human habitation,” a forest official said. The sloth bear was safely transported in a vehicle to a reserve forest. Later the Nilgiris forest division DFO S Gowtham said the animal is in a suitable habitat.