Sloth bear rescued from 40 feet well in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Forest officials and NGO Wildlife SOS have rescued a male sloth bear from a 40-foot-deep well in

Thovinakkere

near Kortegere near

Tumakuru

on Wednesday morning.


The well is located almost 700 meter from a neighbouring forest, which is home to a plethora of wildlife species. On hearing the distressed cries of the animal, the land owner instantly reported the incident to the forest department officials who in turn contacted Wildlife SOS, an NGO.

A four-member rescue team led by Dr Nithin Gowda of Wildlife SOS along with forest department officials rushed to the location, with the necessary equipment in place.

After preliminary assessment, the sloth bear was tranquillised to further proceed with the rescue operation. A large safety net was lowered down the well and the animal was safely extricated. The sloth bear seemed to have slipped while reaching out for the honeycombs on the periphery of the well.

Wildlife SOS veterinarian Dr Nithin Gowda, “On arrival, we found the bear was struggling at the bottom of the well. After following the necessary safety measures, our team was able to lift the bear from the well. Following that, a complete orthopaedic examination was carried out to assess any internal injuries the animal might have sustained owing to its fall. After mandatory observation, the sloth bear was released back into the wild.”