Uddanam residents urge Forest department to trap bears moving in groves

Thousands of persons living in Sompeta, Vajrapukotturu and other places are having sleepless nights with the movement of bears in their vicinity. In spite of the fencing all along cashew, mango and coconut groves, the animals were found to be entering these groves in search of food. 

A bear which was trapped in the fence has been shifted to Visakhapatnam Zoological Park for treatment on Sunday. The Forest department observed that three to four bears have been moving in Batu Puram, Rajam, Akkupalli, Metturu and other places for the last few weeks.

The farmers are afraid of entering the farms due to fear of attacks from wild animals. In March, 2023, one bear killed Ch. Lokanatham, A.Kurma Rao and attacked several other persons also. In view of that the villagers stopped to visit the mango, cashew and coconut groves of Uddanam region, in the recent times. It was observed that availability of abundant food and water in Uddanam water bodies make the bears enter the region from nearby Odisha. Forest officials Nagendra, K.Naidu and others requested locals to be careful while moving in paddy fields and groves for the next three days. The locals requested them to nab all the bears and protect them from their attacks.