Karnataka: Injured wild sloth bear cub rescued in Tumkur

BENGALURU: In a four-hour-long rescue operation, the Wildlife SOS team from Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre and Forest Department officials successfully rescued and released a wild sloth bear cub trapped in barbed wire near Koratagere village, Karnataka.
An emergency call from Chinnappa, the Range Forest Officer of Korataege,alerted the Wildlife SOS team, to a sloth bear cub that was caught in a barbed wire. Local farmers at a Betel nut plantation were shocked to find a barbed wire intertwined around the young cub’s waist.
Animals such as wild boars, nilgai and sloth bears often venture out to the remote villages bordering forest in search of fruits and berries grown by the villagers. To prevent them from consuming and damaging their crops, farmers often lay down barbed wire fences around their plantations.
In an attempt to break free, the bear had been struggling for hours causing the metal wire to tighten its grip around the waist and entangled fur. The team had to first immobilise the animal before cutting through the wire.
A thorough medical assessment of the female bear cub was conducted after the wire was removed and immediate treatment was provided for her wounds that she had suffered during her futile struggle to break free from the wire. The bear was transferred to a transit facility where it was kept under observation for a few hours and later released back into its natural habitat.
Dr Arun A Sha Director Veterinary Operations, Wildlife SOS said, “The cub is a female approx. nine months old. Apart from sustaining minor cuts and bruises, she lost a tooth from gnawing on the metal wire. We had to gently cut through the wire and administer topical treatment for the wounds along with anti-inflammatory injectables”.