Sloth bear captured in Coonoor, released into reserve forest

A sloth bear, believed to have been involved in a number of negative interactions with humans in the Bedford area of Coonoor over the last few months, was captured and released back into the wild by the Forest Department on Monday morning.

The officials said that the bear had also damaged a few houses searching for food. Following complaints from local residents, the department had placed cages around the area to trap the animal. However, despite their attempts, the animal had managed to evade capture till Monday.

The officials said the animal got trapped in a cage placed near the Kanni Mariamman Temple in Coonoor. Based on the orders of the Divisional Forest Officer (Nilgiris), the animal was transported into a reserve forest far away from human habitations and released.