Bear that strayed into Darjeeling town caged
Darjeeling: The Wildlife Division of the forest department successfully caged an adult Himalayan Black bear on Monday near Lebong in Darjeeling town. This has brought great relief to the residents of the area who were in constant fear with the bear being sighted in the area. Around 8 days ago the bear was first sighted near the Tibetan Refugee Center in the Hermitage area below the Darjeeling Chowrasta. The area is a residential area. The Vidya Vikash Academy, a school, is also located in this area.
"Acting on the reports of local residents we had set up a cage in the vicinity on October 12. On 17th October the bear fell into the trap," stated Swapan Hingmang, Forest Ranger, Sinchal West Range. The bear however had not attacked anyone. The bear is a full grown male of 3 to 4 years age, stated forest officials. "After thorough checkup the bear was released in a high altitude forest far away from human habitat where there is ample food available for the animal," added the Ranger.
In the past also there have been incidents of Himalayan bears attacking residents of villages bordering villages. On October 15, 2003 a Himalayan Black Bear had strayed into Darjeeling town and taken refuge in the Nepali Girls High School in the heart of the Darjeeling town. It was later captured by Wildlife authorities, kept in the Darjeeling zoo and later released in the forests below Sandakphu.
"After quite a long gap, a bear had ventured into the town. We successfully managed to trap and rehabilitate it," stated Suratna Sherpa, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO,) Wildlife, Division 1. The Himalayan Black Bear is found in the altitudes from 10,000 to 12,000 feet during summers. They however descend down to warmer locations to as low as 5000 feet during winters. On an average the Himalayan Black Bear measures 56 to 65 inches from nose to tail and weighs from 200 to 265 pounds. They are omnivorous and survive mainly on nuts, fruits, honey, tubers and insects including termites, ants and larvae.
