Bear cubs rescued from cave in Tral, reunited with mother

Pulwama, Jun 3: A day after a large bear was tranquilized and captured in Aligund village of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, wildlife officials on Wednesday rescued two bear cubs from the same cave where the animal had reportedly been living and shifted them to a natural habitat where they were reunited with their mother.
The latest operation unfolded after wildlife personnel, acting on information gathered during Tuesday’s rescue, returned to the site amid concerns that young cubs could have been left behind inside the cave.
Yesterday, residents of Aligund had alerted the Wildlife Department after spotting a large bear in the area. A rescue team subsequently launched an operation, tranquilized the animal and shifted it to a suitable habitat away from human habitation.
During follow-up monitoring of the area, officials discovered two cubs inside the cave believed to be the offspring of the captured bear.
Wildlife teams carefully extracted the cubs and transported them from the village before facilitating their reunion with the mother bear in the wild.
Officials said that the operation was conducted to ensure the survival of the cubs, which could have faced significant risk if left unattended following the relocation of the adult bear.
The successful rescue brought relief to villagers who had expressed concern both over the presence of the animals near homes and the welfare of the young cubs after the mother bear’s capture.
The incident also highlighted the increasing interface between wildlife and human settlements in forest-fringe areas of South Kashmir, prompting renewed calls for vigilance and timely reporting of wild animal sightings. [KNT]