The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Forest officials and Wildlife Rescue and Animal Health Section under the Wildlife Conservation Division have rescued a Himalayan bear found trapped in a snare set near an apple orchard in Wang Simo under Thimphu Dzonghag.
The animal which was believed to have attempted to enter into the apple orchard was caught in the trap set around the fence surrounding the apple orchard.
According to the senior Forest Ranger with the Center, Tshencho Tshering, the resuce team was informed early morning regarding the incident and they immediately rushed to the site for early rescue.
He said that the bear was found caught in a snare set with electric high tension wire which took them some time to dismantle and set the animal free.
The officials when inspecting the place found that the bear has not suffered any injuries from the trap which was caught in its neck and hands.“ We inspected each part of the body to ensure that the animal is not hurt „
Tshencho Tshering also said that due to thick fat deposition on the body of the bear, the rescue team took a few hours to carry out the rescue operation as the animal failed to response to the sedation.
“With the first dart failing to produce much reaction in sedating the animal, we had to perform it a few times,“ Tshencho Tshering said.
However, the bear was rescued successfully and released back to the wild.
The Forest and Nature Conservation Rules restricts illegal setting up snares. The animal is listed in the Schedule I of the Act as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature‘s Red List of Threatened Species.
Meanwhile legal action will be taken against the person responsible for setting up the illegal snare.
