A sloth bear was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the Nanjangud-Gundlupet border of the Mysuru territorial forest division.
The carcass of the animal was found on Thursday and the Forest Department registered an FIR as it was a case of unnatural death.
Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Kariklan told The Hindu that the post-mortem could not help ascertain the cause of death as the carcass had bloated and decomposition had set in. “Veterinarians found it difficult even to collect the samples of the viscera,” he added.
However, it is suspected that it was a case of unnatural death as the male bear was young, hardly about 3 years, and the place where the carcass was found was unlikely for a bear to be found.
“We suspect that the bear had died elsewhere but may have been transported surreptitiously and dumped near Krishnapura on the Nanjangud-Gundlupet border to evade detection,” said Mr. Karikalan.
It is suspected that the bear might have been electrocuted outside an agricultural farm, having an illegally powered fence to keep the wild boars at bay.
The bear’s death comes close on the heels of the suspected poisoning of two leopard cubs, the electrocution of an elephant and capture and release of another leopard which were all reported during the last 72 hours from Mysuru and surrounding regions.
