Chhattisgarh: Bear Trapped By Poachers Dies, Cub Rescued; Locals Cry Forest Dept's Negligence

Marwahi Forest Division Officer Raunak Goyal said poachers laid the trap which was made from the clutch wire of a vehicle.

Gaurela Pendra Marwahi: The body of a female bear was found near Gaganai Nature Camp in Chhattisgarh. Both the female bear and her cub were found trapped in the net set by poachers. The female bear had died on the spot and the condition of the cub is stable at the moment, forest department sources said. Officials said as soon as the cub gets cured, it will be released to the forest.

Local youths played a big role in saving the bear cub, they said. The forest department officials launched a hunt for the poachers. Marwahi Forest Division Officer Raunak Goyal said that the trap was made from the clutch wire of the vehicle. "Efforts are being made to trace the poachers with the help of local people. The area around Gaganai Nature Camp is surrounded by dense forests. Due to dense forest, a large number of wild animals have a safe habitat here," Goyal said.

Local people said when the bear got trapped by the poachers, they heard screams. According to them, if the forest department employees had been alert, the bear's life could have been saved. Local people said they informed the forest department about the bear being trapped in the snare.

Goyal said strict action will be taken against those who were negligent. There is always VIP movement near the nature camp but the forest department staff did not notice the snares set by the hunters. The delay of forest department employees in reaching the spot even after the bear's screaming sound was heard raised many eyebrows.