Sloth bear cub trapped in fencing wire dies in Chhattisgarh

A sloth bear cub died after getting trapped in a fencing wire in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, officials said on Thursday.

Some locals on Wednesday spotted the bear, aged 3-4 months, trapped in the chain link fencing of 'Oxyvan', a protected area of the forest department, and alerted authorities, a forest official said.

A team of forest personnel rushed to the spot and found the cub dead, he said.

The forest department installed the fencing about five years ago to protect the green area and it was visibly broken at several places.

The official said, "Prima facie, it seems the adult bears might have crossed the fencing, but the cub got trapped in the broken wire and choked to death.'' The exact cause of death will be ascertained after the autopsy report is received, he said, adding that an investigation was on into the incident.