Curiously enough, a bear sighted near Kandhkelgaon of Saintala forest range was reportedly coming to near villagers and eating food offered by them.
Kandhkelgaon village is located within a forest area and outside interference is less. Balangir DFO Sameer Satpathy said the bear was coming regularly to the village for food.
Notably, barely a month after sighting of a leopard in Badmal areas, three bears were spotted in Athgaon-Uparjhar ghati area, Kandhkelgaon and Kudasingha in Deogaon block.
The bear in Upparjhar Ghati area was sighted almost fifteen days ago. But the one sighted in Kudasingha village area a few days ago appeared fast moving.
“Habitat loss may be a reason of the bears straying to villages. However, we are keeping a watch on the situation,” the DFO added.