Alipurduar: An Asiatic black bear ventured into the Dhalkar area of North Panialguri, near the Madherdabri Tea Plantation, close to the Alipurduar district headquarters, from the Buxa Tiger Reserve Forest on Tuesday.
The forest staff of the Buxa Tiger Reserve arrived on receiving information. After about four hours, the forest staff finally managed to capture the bear.
Apurba Sen, the Field Director of Buxa Tiger Reserve, stated: “The Asiatic black bear was successfully rescued. This is the first such event this year. We cannot draw any conclusions based on a single incident, but we are close tab.”According to the Forest department, the area was initially surrounded with nets following specific procedures. An expert team then arrived with tranquilizers. At around 10:00 am, the full-grown male bear was administered the tranquilizing shot.
The agitated animal was then transported to the Rajabhatkhawa Wildlife Veterinary Center of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, where veterinarians examined it.
The bear sustained a slight injury on its right leg. It is initially known that the Schedule 1-listed animal will be kept under strict surveillance for a few days. Following the advice of doctors, foresters decided that releasing the bear back into the wild would be a risky move due to its injuries. Consequently, the decision was made to send it to the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri.
The Asiatic black bear is typically found in certain areas of the Himalayan mountains above 2,000 feet. However, there has been a trend of it descending to the plains in winters for several years. Consequently, people in forested areas need to exercise more caution during the winter season.
Animesh Basu, the Coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), said: “The entire issue of the Asiatic black bear needs to be studied more deeply. Detailed research is required.”