Sloth bear rescued in Tumkur

A sloth bear trapped in a 40-foot-deep well was rescued on Thursday in a two-hour-long operation in Tumkur in Karnataka, conservation non-profit Wildlife SOS said here.

On Wednesday morning, officials from Karnataka Forest Department made an emergency call to the Wildlife SOS team in Bannerghatta, Bengaluru, about a sloth bear that had fallen into a well in Tumkur, according to a statement by Wildlife SOS.

The well is almost 700 metre from a neighbouring forest, which is home to a plethora of wildlife species. On hearing the distressed cries of the animal, the land owner instantly reported the incident to the forest department who in turn contacted Wildlife SOS.

A four-member rescue team led by Nithin Gowda of Wildlife SOS along with forest department officials rushed to the spot with necessary equipment.

After preliminary assessment, the sloth bear was tranquillised to proceed with the rescue operation. A large safety net was lowered down the well and the animal was safely extricated.

The sloth bear seemed to have slipped while reaching out for the honeycombs on the periphery of the well, the statement read.