KARIMNAGAR: Forest authorities are continuing their operation to trap the sloth bear sighted at Satavahana University. As the rescue operation entered its fourth day, officials have changed the spot of the cage and also adjusted the food to lure the carnivoran mammal.
Forest Range Officer (FRO) Gantala Srinivas Reddy said they recognised the growls of the bear coming from a hillock on the premises of the university. However, due to the frequency of human beings in the area, the bear has stayed away from the food and traps, he added.
The rescue team who had come from Warangal are still camped in the university. The authorities went on add jaggery to the list of foods - groundnuts, banana and banana smeared with honey. The university staffers said they had sighted the bear on the premises earlier, but it hadn't hurt anyone.
Officials said owing to the regular blasting at the granite quarries, the hillocks are a safe habitation for the sloth bears. Forest authorities said the camera traps set up near the trees are yet to capture the animal, adding that the operation will continue until the bear is trapped.
Meanwhile, they are not allowing people to walk towards the area of the rescue operation. The university has also suspended all classes for postgraduate students for two days.