Visakhapatnam: The female sloth bear that caused panic in Srikakulam district, killing a farmer and injuring six others, died on the way to Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Vizag, after its capture by a special forest team on Tuesday.
Chief forest conservator Ramamohan Rao said the bear attacked a bull on Monday night after it attacked some people, but suffered injuries when the bull retaliated with its horns. It moved into a shed in the village and remained calm since then.
On information from the farmers, a team of forest officials rushed to the shed and used tranquillizer to bring the animal under control. They shifted the animal into a vehicle and moved it towards the Vizag zoo. On the way, they injected an antibiotic dose, but the animal died a few minutes later.
“The animal was very active but got calm after its fight with the bull. It might have suffered serious injuries though we did not notice any blood stains on it due to its thick fur,’’ the CFO said.
The locals said the bear had with it two cubs and turned ferocious after the cubs were separated.
Srikakulam SP Radhika said that among the six injured persons, four were shifted to a private hospital in Vizag where their condition remained serious.
