Panic in Coonoor over frequent sloth bear intrusions

COIMBATORE: Alarmed by the frequent visits of a sloth bear, the residents of Coonoor in The Nilgiris district urged the forest department to take immediate steps to capture it.

The sloth bear was spotted napping near the fire service office adjacent to the Coonoor bus terminus three days ago and it was spotted once again in the residential area.

Following that, it entered the premises of a lodge in Coonoor triggering panic on Wednesday night. This is the third instance of the bear intruding into the residential areas in recent days.

The movement of the bear and a group of dogs chasing it away by barking had been recorded on the CCTV. Following this, the forest department has appealed to residents not to come out unnecessarily during night hours to avoid humananimal conflict.

Meanwhile, the residents have demanded the forest department set up traps to capture the bear and shift it elsewhere.