In 2021, a trap was set by the forest department to capture a sloth bear seen entering human settlements around Milidhane, near Kotagiri. The animal was trapped safely inside a cage and released in a completely different part of the upper Nilgiris. While the animal’s capture and release went off without a hitch, there were ethical questions raised about the need for relocating the animal by a section of conservationists, as further viewing of video footage revealed the sloth bear was among three animals that were entering the human settlement – the other two being the cubs of the animal, both of which managed to escape after trying in vain to help free the captured sloth bear.
Little is known of the fate of the two cubs, nor indeed of the animal that was released by the forest department, with conservationists criticising “unscientific” management methods adopted by the forest department, who are in most cases, pressured by local communities into relocating animals that have had no negative interactions with humans.
In this year alone, three sloth bears and a leopard — alleged to have killed a four-year-old child during an accidental encounter — have been captured and relocated to different habitats by the forest department. Wildlife activist, K. Mohanraj, said relocating animals without addressing underlying causes that attract animals into human habitations is not a viable long-term solution to mitigate the chances of negative human-animal interactions.
