TIRUNELVELI: Forest department personnel attached to the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) captured a sloth bear in a cage set up in Anavankudiyiruppu village, a buffer zone area under the Papanasam Range. They later released the animal into the thick forest in Kodamadi beat of the Mundanthurai range on Wednesday night.
The sloth bear was trapped around 11 pm after it had been frequently entering the residential area in search of food and water, causing concerns among residents.
Forest personnel safely shifted the animal from the cage to a rescue vehicle. It was later handled under the guidance of forest veterinary officer Dr Manoharan and released in the Kodamadi beat forest area, officials said.
The capture of the sloth bear comes after a series of incidents involving wildlife movement in and around Anavankudiyiruppu. Recently, a construction worker, Ganesh Moorthy, was allegedly attacked by a bear in the area. Some residents also spotted a bear moving through the village and recorded the animal on their mobile phones. On July 31, a 61-year-old farmer was killed in a sloth bear attack in Mela Ambur village near Papanasam, while a female sloth bear was found dead on August 3 in the same region. On August 7, a sloth bear was captured by officials and released into the dense forest.
Amid concerns over the movement of bears and leopards, KMTR Field Director and Conservator of Forests S Murugan visited Anavankudiyiruppu on Tuesday. He inspected the cage and reviewed the measures taken by the Forest Department to monitor wildlife movement. He also interacted with the locals and field staff to gather information about the presence of wild animals in the area.
