Villagers relieved as prowling bear trapped in cage in The Nilgiris

The bear was trapped on Saturday night in a cage put up three days ago near Mullimalai area. The Forest Department staff had placed fruits inside the cage to lure the bear. In the middle of night, villagers heard the sound of a bear and turned up to find the animal trapped inside the cage.

On receiving information, a team of Forest Department staff arrived and loaded the cage with the animal inside on a vehicle. It was then released in the nearby dense forests.

Villagers heaved a sigh of relief as the bear, which used to frequent their neighbourhood, has been captured by the Forest Department. The bear has been habituated to consume rice and food items stocked up for noon meal scheme by breaking into the kitchen of a school in the neighbourhood.

It also has damaged a few temples to enter inside and consume oil meant for lighting lamp and ‘puja’ items. Following repeated incidents, the villagers urged the Forest Department to capture and translocate it elsewhere.