The Nilgiris forest division registered a case against two individuals and arrested them for accidentally ensnaring a sloth bear cub near the Kattery Junction in Coonoor a few days ago. The two men had laid a snare to capture wild boar, forest officials said.
District Forest Officer (Nilgiris Division) Sumesh Soman said that forest staff had been alerted to the growls of two sloth bears emanating from a tea plantation in Kattery, Coonoor on Friday. Forest department officials and personnel from the Rapid Response Team rushed to the spot, after the animals were heard throughout the night, and into Saturday morning. Special cages were on hand to trap the animals if required.
However, when officials reached the area they found an adult sloth bear and her cub, and realised that the latter had gotten ensnared in a piece of wire, laid out to trap wild boar.
After the forest staff chased away the adult sloth bear, they realised that the sloth bear cub had died attempting to escape from the snare. They soon registered a case and launched a hunt for the persons responsible for laying the snare.
They later learned that two men, who were operating a vehicle repair shop at Kattery, had laid the snare and arrested them. The two men were identified as R. Vikram from Ellithorai in Coonoor and D. William residing at Glendale Estate. They were charged under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and remanded to judicial custody.
Mr. Sumesh Soman said that the “incredibly difficult operation” to rescue the bear cub could not be completed successfully, but said that he hoped that the strict action taken against the offenders would discourage others from laying traps to capture wildlife.
“Snares laid to trap wild boar and hare can easily trap other wildlife, including carnivores like leopards, bears and even tigers. We have launched an awareness campaign, where people living close to forest boundaries are being warned about the consequences of hunting wildlife,” said Mr. Soman.
