Bear, cub captured in Srinagar after 21-hour hunt

They were on the loose in the city and mauled a man prompting authorities to urge people to stay home

A bear and a cub, who were on the loose in Srinagar and mauled a man prompting authorities to urge people to stay home, were captured after a 21-hour hunt on Monday, officials said

The animals were caught on a CCTV camera at Jawahar Nagar. (Twitter)

Wildlife department teams began the hunt on Sunday morning when the animals were caught on a CCTV camera at Jawahar Nagar. It installed three cage traps at the entry and exit points of the area.

“After 21 hours non-stop operation, Black Bear spotted yesterday [Sunday] in Rajbagh area has been tranquillised. Great job by the team led by Wildlife Department. Area has been scanned and sanitized. All educational institutions in the area shall open normally as per daily routine, “ said deputy commissioner Aijaz Asad in a tweet.

It was not immediately clear where the bear and the cub came from. Experts suspect the animals might have come from the nearby Zabarwan forests.

Wildlife warden (central Kashmir) Altaf Hussain said it is in their domain to deal with animal-human conflict and that this was the toughest operation he was involved in. He said the authorities have now withdrawn the advisory asking people to remain indoors.

In March, a leopard was captured in the nearby Church Lane near the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain.