The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Forest officials rescue three sloth bears

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Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Forest officials rescue three sloth bears

Special Correspondent

— Photo: A. Muralitharan

One of the rescued bears at the zoo on Monday.

CHENNAI: Three sloth bears including a sub-adult cub were rescued by the Forest Department officials in Villupuram last week.

Rehabilitation

The bears have been rehabilitated at the Vandalur zoo, where they were brought late on Saturday night, the zoo authorities said.

The adult was said to be 12 years old, the female 18 years and the sub-adult three years old. Forest officials seized the bears from a man from Andhra Pradesh, who was unable to produce a valid transit permit required for transporting the animals from one place to another.

Nose ring

He had tied a ring around the bears’ nose to keep them under control. However, when they arrived in the zoo, the authorities removed the nose ring. The sub-adult animal did not have a nose ring, they said.

The zoo authorities said the animals looked tired, possibly due to the continuous walking and later due to transportation from Villupuram to Vandalur. They said the diet provided to the other bears at the zoo was also being offered to the three rescued animals. The three bears have been kept in an enclosure behind the European Brown Bear’s enclosure, where they are being quarantined, added the authorities.

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