Nabarangpur: Four sloth bears, including three cubs were rescued by forest officials, a few hours after they accidentally fell into an open well in a paddy field at Padalguda village in Nabarangpur district today.
Locals first spotted the bears trapped inside the well and informed the forest officials. On receiving information, the forest staff rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. A team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODARF) also joined the drive and managed to rescue all the bears safely.
Locals informed that the four animals had strayed into the village at around 7 pm on Tuesday. Although the animals were chased away by the villagers, they were once again spotted moving in the locality this morning.
"We have successfully rescued the four bears from the well. They will be released into forest after preliminary treatment," said Jagannath Bisoi, a forest official.