Bear India
Forest rangers rescued a bear cub on 7 July that had fallen in a well while searching for food in a farm - Representational image Reuters

Forest rangers rescued a three-year-old black bear that had accidentally fallen into a farm well in a village in Tirunelveli district in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu. A local politician, who owns the farm, informed authorities after he spotted the wild animal in the well.

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Officers said that the bear was scavenging for food when it strayed into the farm and fell in the well. Similar incidents of wild animals venturing into farmlands have been reported in the area over the past few weeks.

Soon after getting a call from P. Veldurai on Thursday (7 July), a team of rangers from the forest department arrived at the spot and rescued the bear after an hour-long struggle.

The cub was pulled out of the well with the help of a fishnet. As soon as it reached the parapet of the well, it jumped out of the net and ran into a nearby forest. A veterinarian and fire and rescue service personnel from a nearby village were also called to the spot.

Video footage of the incident posted on YouTube shows the cub in the well and forest officers using the fish net to catch it. After a few attempts, officers managed to pull it out and soon the cub rushed towards the forest.

According to reports, scanty rainfall has led to scarcity of food and water in the forests, which has led wild animals to look for prey in villages and farmlands.

The Hindu reported that a similar incident had occurred recently where a bear had strayed into a farm near Kalakkad village. It was captured by forest officials and released into the wild.