Hyderabad: Rescued sloth bears being treated at zoo

Hyderabad: Two sloth bears (also known as lip bears) were brought to the Nehru Zoological Park on Monday night after they were rescued from Bommanapally village in Karimnagar.

Nehru Zoological Park has a well-established observation facility to provide early treatment. Sloth bears are listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List mainly because of habitat loss and degradation.

"A pair, one male and a female of 7 to 8 years of age, was brought to the Zoo Park Monday night. They were found in a well at a village in Karimnagar district, presumably after falling accidently. A Warangal zoo team rescued and shifted them here around 2 pm on Monday. Both of them have received multiple injuries during the rescue operation. They were brought here as we have a better facility to treat and monitor their condition," informed N Kshitija, Curator Nehru Zoological Park. "We did not know for how many these bears had been languishing in the well well. Medical staff conducted several tests to ascertain their health condition, especially, to know whether they were affected by water-borne disease," she added.

Last time, in May, a leopard was rescued from Rajapet Tanda in Nalgonda district but died on way to Nehru Zoological Park as it received serious injuries while it was being trapped.