Sloth bear found in village in Andhra's Srikakulam district

A sloth bear was found climbing a tree near Onkuluru village in Vajrapu Kotturu Mandal, Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

Srikakulam District Forest Officer Sandeep Krupakar Gundala told , "The forest area nearby is a natural habitat for the bears and sometimes, the bears come nearby the villages."

Gundala said, "There is a casuarina plantation, which is a shelterbelt plantation near the sea coast of Bay of Bengal."

"It is not rare that a bear came near the village area," he added.

Last month a sloth bear got trapped in a cage set up by locals in Erramukkam village, in Sompeta Mandal of Srikakulam district, which was later handed over to the officials of the forest department.

Locals suffering from the bear menace had set up a cage in the area, in which the mal got trapped.

( With inputs from ANI )