Forest officers in India carried out an unusual rescue last Wednesday when they freed a bear that had become caught in a wild boar trap.
Early in the morning on November 15, people from Malkangiri town spotted the trapped bear and called the forest department, Odisha TV reported.
Srikant Nayak, the Assistant Conservator of Forests in the area, said the bear was saved when his team and local villagers worked together. He added that the bear was taken to the wild after being sedated and would eventually be released into its natural habitat.
Boar traps have been a big issue in India after a number of accidents. Only days earlier two teenagers were killed when they were electrocuted by a wild boar trap made of live wires.
Bears are often poached for their parts in Asian countries. Their bile is sought after in countries such as China and South Korea as it is used in traditional medicinal recipes. In some cases, bears are often forced into cages and are kept for bile extraction.