Sloth bear dies at rehabilitation centre

An eight-year-old sloth bear, named Nagesha, died at the Bear Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Bannerghatta recently.

The animal was being treatted by the staff since September 2012 for erratic feeding habits and dullness.

According to a veterinarian, the bear was displaying signs of severe respiratory distress . “It was consuming only water and glucose from January, which left it in a weakened condition,” a source said. 

Visceral samples of the bear collected during the postmortem have been sent to the laboratory for further clinical analysis.

The bear had been rescued from Hampinakatte in Bellary in March 2006.  It was being sheltered at the rehab centre under Wildlife SOS — the India-based wildlife protective organisation which specialises in rehabilitating bears.