After hours of efforts by Forest Department and Fire Brigade personnel, a wild bear which had accidently fallen into an open well at Jamudiha panchayat under Nilgiri block in the district on Sunday was rescued unharmed and released into the Kuldiha sanctuary on Monday.
Locals had come to know about the incident after hearing the growling of the trapped bear. Although the Fire Service personnel attempted to rescue it from the well, they failed. Subsequently, with the efforts of the Forest Department the animal was rescued.
The rescuers first spread a net on the mouth of the well, then managed to get hold of the bear’s leg with a noose and pulled it up. The department personnel had a tough time to control the crowd as villagers from the area congregated near the spot to witness the rescue operation .
Nilgiri and Oupada block of the district are known as bear-infested zones and many a time they intrude into the nearby human habitations mainly due to blasting in quarries and in the search of ripe fruits .
Incidents of bear attack are reported frequently from these regions. However, the officials said the bear might have sneaked in from Swarnachuda hill in search of food. In 2018 on three different occasions three bears were found entangled in traps in three different places. Those snares were laid by the miscreants and the Forest Department rescued the animals after tranquilising them with the help of experts from the Simlipal Tiger Reserve.
Notably, one Minati, wife of Banamali Singh of Jamabani village under Mahishapata panchayat in Nilgiri block, was injured in a bear attack on Saturday morning when she had gone to a nearby forest for some work.