Jaipur: Sloth bear flees from centre in Nahargarh, brought back

JAIPUR: In a first, forest department officials rescued a sloth bear that had strayed from the Nahargarh Rescue Centre into a nearby residential area after a three-and-a-half-hour-long operation on Sunday morning.
The sloth bear had taken refuge in an under-construction house in the Jaisinghpura Khor area. This created panic among the residents as they had never seen the sloth bear in their locality.
Senior veterinarian Dr Arvind Mathur said it was the first rescue operation of a sloth bear from a residential area in Jaipur.He said, "The operation was challenging as the house was dark and it was difficult to locate the animal with black fur. Also, our team closed all exits as an injured bear could have attacked people if it came out. Fortunately, the animal was captured in the first attempt after darting it with sedatives."
The 4-year-old injured male sloth bear was brought from Ranthambore National Park for treatment. A forest staff member said the bear had four to five wounds.
He said it was kept in an enclosed space as it was injured and around 4 am, it tore off the iron fencing of the cage with its sharp nails and teeth and fled.
"After receiving information, our team swung into action and started the search operation. The team started to trace the animal with the help of pug marks. Around 8.30 am, we were told that the sloth bear was spotted near the residential area," the staffer said.
Officials said that the bear had a history of straying near the human settlement. On April 12, it was first tranquilised and released in the forest after it ventured close to a village. "On Saturday, it was tranquilised again as it reached near the same village. The department decided to release it in Karauli, However, a biologist suggested not releasing the animal as it was seriously injured. Following this, it was brought to Jaipur," an official said.