A Himalayan black bear that strayed into a tea garden in Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday was trapped by forest department personnel in an hour-long operation.
According to sources, the middle-aged bear suddenly entered an area where the workers reside on the Samsing tea estate in Matiali block. Upon noticing the animal, the residents immediately contacted the forest department.
By the time the foresters arrived, the animal had moved to nearby bushes. They cordoned off the area with nets. After nearly an hour-long operation, the bear was rescued.
The foresters put up a cage and nets and managed to snare the animal.
Samsing is near the Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong district, where heavy snowfall and extreme cold conditions have recently been reported at elevations of around 10,000 feet in the forest.
“It seems the bear descended from higher altitudes into lower forested areas such as Samsing because of the snowfall and to forage for food,” said a forester.
The bear’s presence in Samsing drew people from nearby villages to catch a glimpse of the animal. The foresters controlled the crowd to keep a safe distance from the animal.
Sanjay Dey, the range officer of the Khunia forest range in the Gorumara wildlife division, said the bear had likely entered the tea garden from either Neora Valley National Park or the adjoining Bhutan forests. “After preliminary medical treatment and a health check-up, the bear will be released back into the national park,” he said.
In the past five years, many Himalayan black bears ventured into the tea gardens in the block. In an earlier incident, an agitated mob had killed a bear.
“Forest patrols and surveillance have been intensified in the hilly areas of Matiali to ascertain whether more bears are present,” said Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of the Gorumara wildlife division.