Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra

While sight of animals displaying skills in various games and performing different tricks to the tunes of the music are spectacles characteristic to circus events, a spectacular show by two wild bears at a village in Odisha has left the netizens truly enthralled

Even as man-animal conflicts continue to hog headlines in Odisha, it was a rare memorable weekend for villagers of Khiga under Umerkote block in Nabarangpur district. 

A visual treat unfolded for the villagers when two wild bears frolicked with a football in a nearby forest on Sunday. The locals gathered at a safe distance and shot the stunning video with their mobile phones which has now gone viral on social media platforms.

According to reports, some children of the village were playing football in a nearby playground when two wild bears suddenly ventured into the field. The frightened children fled the ground living the match midway.

However, much to their astonishment and amusement, the wild bears started playing with the soccer ball among themselves. A few locals captured the rare sight in their mobile phones and posted it in social media. In the video, the two wild animals could be seen replicating the actions of the children as they continued to kick, throw and catch up with the ball in jubilation.

“The wild animals were not violent, rather they seemed quite funny and enjoyed the time in style. It was a really entertaining and a rare sight to watch,” said Ramesh Jena, a villager.

“Earlier, we had seen bears playing football in zoos and circus shows. Watching such sights in jungle is really amusing and memorable,” said Arjun Bhatra another local.

“The wild animals played for few minutes. But later vanished into the jungle with the ball after getting frightened by the rising gathering of the people to witness the entertaining spectacle,” he said.
 

(Edited by Suryakant Jena)

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