<p>Wayanad: An adult sloth bear has been on the loose in this high-range district of Kerala for the last three days, creating panic among the public as it entered a home to steal sugar and continued to elude efforts of the forest officials to capture it.</p>.<p>According to forest officials, the bear was last seen at around 3.30 am on Wednesday near Panamaram here, which is close to a forested area.</p> <p>Officials said there was a chance that the bear may venture back into the forest, but a large team, including a Rapid Response Team, veterinarians and DFOs, are combing the area for the animal.</p>.<p>A senior forest official said that an order was issued on Tuesday by the Chief Wildlife Warden to tranquilise the bear.</p>.<p>"However, we will not just dart it on sight. We will do so only if it is crucial. We will not dart it unnecessarily," the official said.</p> <p>The bear entered the habited areas of the district on January 21 and was caught on various CCTV cameras.</p>.Green activists oppose darting and culling of wild animals in Kerala, urge to find alternatives.<p>Visuals on TV channels later showed it running through a large field as locals made noises to scare it away.</p>.<p>Amidst this, a local resident unknowingly landed up before the bear and in his panic stricken efforts to escape to safety he fell down and suffered injuries.</p>.<p>The bear, on the other hand, has not attacked anyone and only broke into a house and stole some sugar, the forest official said.</p>.<p>The elusive bear is only the latest among repeated reported incidents of wild animals, including tigers and elephants, venturing into the habited areas of the high range district in Kerala.</p>
<p>Wayanad: An adult sloth bear has been on the loose in this high-range district of Kerala for the last three days, creating panic among the public as it entered a home to steal sugar and continued to elude efforts of the forest officials to capture it.</p>.<p>According to forest officials, the bear was last seen at around 3.30 am on Wednesday near Panamaram here, which is close to a forested area.</p> <p>Officials said there was a chance that the bear may venture back into the forest, but a large team, including a Rapid Response Team, veterinarians and DFOs, are combing the area for the animal.</p>.<p>A senior forest official said that an order was issued on Tuesday by the Chief Wildlife Warden to tranquilise the bear.</p>.<p>"However, we will not just dart it on sight. We will do so only if it is crucial. We will not dart it unnecessarily," the official said.</p> <p>The bear entered the habited areas of the district on January 21 and was caught on various CCTV cameras.</p>.Green activists oppose darting and culling of wild animals in Kerala, urge to find alternatives.<p>Visuals on TV channels later showed it running through a large field as locals made noises to scare it away.</p>.<p>Amidst this, a local resident unknowingly landed up before the bear and in his panic stricken efforts to escape to safety he fell down and suffered injuries.</p>.<p>The bear, on the other hand, has not attacked anyone and only broke into a house and stole some sugar, the forest official said.</p>.<p>The elusive bear is only the latest among repeated reported incidents of wild animals, including tigers and elephants, venturing into the habited areas of the high range district in Kerala.</p>