Bear footprints spark alert in Chaiyaphum
Residents in Chaiyaphum’s Kudloh subdistrict and surrounding areas have been warned against going into sugarcane plantations after officials confirmed that footprints found in one sugarcane field belonged to bears.
In a Facebook post on Monday, a local of Kaset Somboon district showed pictures of bears’ footprints found in the plantation in Kudloh subdistrict. He urged officials to catch the animals before they attacked villagers.
Upon being notified, officials of the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in Chaiyaphum’s Khon San district were sent to investigate and reportedly said the footprints belonged to an adult female bear and two of its cubs.
“The mother bear is suspected to weigh from 30-100kg, while the two cubs should weigh around 20 kg,” one of the officials said. “They could have wandered from the wildlife sanctuary into the plantations to find food. We have ordered locals in the area to refrain from going out to their plantations until the animals are caught.”
The officials added that they would use honey as bait and then shoot the bears with a tranquiliser gun. But the animals have so far proved elusive.
