India News | Bear Enters Sikkim Raj Bhavan, Eats Chickens; Rescued

Gangtok, Oct 21 (PTI) A Himalayan black bear was rescued from the Raj Bhavan complex in Gangtok on Thursday after a gruelling operation that lasted for hours, officials said.

The bear was first spotted by the Raj Bhavan staff around midnight, following which the Forest Department was informed, they said.

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The bear ate some chickens at the staff quarters of the complex, leading to more panic among the people, officials said.

Forest officials patrolled the complex the entire night to keep the bear at bay and as soon as the day broke, an operation was started to capture it, they added.

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The animal was captured around 12 pm after being tranquilised, officials said.

"The bear was hiding under a culvert. We had to shoot it twice as we missed the first shot," said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dechen Lachungpa.

The bear would be released in the Pangalakha Wildlife sanctuary, officials said.

The Himalayan black bear is enlisted as a highly endangered species, they said.

Last year, a Himalayan black bear had strayed into the BSNL building near MG Marg and injured a staff.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)