Sloth bear trapped in cage set up by Andhra locals; handed over to forest department

A sloth bear has been trapped in a cage set up by locals in Erramukkam village, in Sompeta Mandal of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. The trapped bear was later handed over to the officials of the forest department. The sloth bear got trapped on Thursday morning in the cage set up by locals. The locals were suffering from the menace of the bear and hence they set up a trap to catch it.

The locals then informed the forest department about the bear getting trapped, an official from the forest department told ANI over the phone adding that a rescue team from Visakhapatnam will be sent to the area and the team would determine whether to send the bear to a forest reserve or a zoo.

"We got information that a sloth bear is trapped in the cage in the morning. We immediately informed the higher authorities and came here. Now a rescue team is on the way from Visakhapatnam. They will firstly check the health condition of the bear and will then decide whether it should be taken to a forest reserve or a zoo," Kasibugga Forest Range Officer Ammannaidu said.

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Kerala's brutal elephant killing

The incident comes days after the brutal killing of a pregnant elephant who was in search of food. The entire nation was outraged over the news of the pregnant elephant's death. The Central Government has demanded a report over the incident from the Kerala government and has also sent senior officials to the region to catch the perpetrators. The Kerala government has also assured that action will be taken to catch the perpetrators and bring them to books. Kerala Forest Department has taken to Twitter to state that an arrest has been made by them in the case of the pregnant elephant's horrific killing.

Several sections of the society from Bollywood celebrities to political leaders condemned the killing of the elephant which took place in Kerala's Palakkad. According to reports, the elephant was fed a pineapple laced with live firecrackers which burst in her mouth, damaging her jaws severely and ultimately killing the pachyderm.

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(With ANI inputs)