The search for a sloth bear, which had escaped from the safari area at Bannerghatta nearly a week ago, continues around Ragihalli and surrounding villages.
On Wednesday, the bear was spotted at Kattagere. Members of the NGO Wildlife SOS – which runs the rescue centre – have been scouring the area for the past two days after a sloth bear was spotted near Ragihalli. This is perhaps the fourth incident of a bear escaping from the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) Rescue Centre. The centre houses over 80 bears.
However, Arun A. Sha, from the Wildlife SOS, allayed fears and said the bear posed no threat. “This is a rescued bear and is friendly towards humans,” he said.
With ageing infrastructure, several animals have escaped from the centre in the past. In June 2016, a Himalayan Black Bear tore open the mesh and escaped. It took over 150 men, elephants and drones to track it down.
