Sloth bear found dead in a private tea estate in Nilgiris

UDHAGAMANDALAM: A carcass of a female sloth bear was found in a tea estate near Coonoor in the Nilgiris on Saturday.
Officials said the sloth bear, aged 3 to 4 years, was found dead inside a bush in a private tea estate in the Melur section of forests in the Coonoor range.

“The bear appears to have died at least four to five days ago. Though the carcass was found slightly decomposed, there seemed no external injuries on the body of the animal,” said Coonoor forest range officer C Shiva.

The animal could have died in a fight either with a wild boar or Indian gaur, said the official. Postmortem examination of the animal is underway at the spot where the carcass was found and in the presence of forest officials and members of NGOs.