A male sloth bear, which got entangled in cables on Monday night near an agricultural field in Vajrapukotturu village of Srikakulam district and created panic among residents, was rescued by a medical team of the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP).
This is the first time that a sloth bear was spotted in the village. It took two hours for the 15-member rescue team, consisting of veterinary doctor, zoo officials and forest personnel, to free the animal from the wire and tranquillise it.
The bear with suspected internal injuries was brought to the IGZP on Tuesday morning and housed in the night kraal. “The animal ran for 20 metres after the first tranquilliser shot and had to be subsequently given two more doses of tranquilliser darts as it was in a stressful state and showed signs of aggression. The bear would have ventured into the fields in search of food. There were some cashew plantations nearby which could be a possible reason for the animal straying into the area,” zoo curator B. Vijay Kumar told The Hindu . The animal is being monitored by the medical team from Visakhapatnam.
“Further action will be taken as per the instructions of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden of A.P. about whether to free the animal in wild or to retain it in Vizag zoo,” the curator said. The zoo currently has five sloth bears.
