Balasore: Wildlife employees have rescued an adult bear, which had strayed into human habitation patches of Nilgiri block, on Friday.

Personnel of the Nilgiri forest range and the Similipal tiger reserve carried out the joint rescue operation.

Trained personnel of the tiger reserve tranquillised the bear and brought it to the Nilgiri range office.

Divisional forest officer Biswaraj Panda said: "The bear has been kept under observation of a veterinary doctor. Once it becomes fit to move, it will be released in the Kuldhia forest."

According to local villagers, the bear had sneaked into the human settlement in search of food from the Swarnachuda hills.

On Friday morning it was seen at Billy Khairabani in Dhobsila gram panchayat.

After they spotted it two days ago, they tried to drive away the wild bear but later informed the forest officials.

The department initially tried to drive away the bear but later sought the help of Simililpal Tiger Reserve.

Trained personnel of the tiger reserve tranquillised the bear after other rescue methods did not work.

Nilgiri forest range officer Devendra Patra said: "The injured bear had sneaked into the village for food. It is now kept under observation of the veterinary surgeon. It has not harmed anyone. It would be released after it is fit."

An activist working for bear conservation, Prakash Mardaraj, said: "This is another incident of man-animal conflict. The sloth bear had strayed into human habitation mainly due to loss of habitat and increased dependency of locals on the forest."