Tourists flock to see sloth bear family

Udhagamandalam: Instead of creating scare, a sloth bear that has been roaming in Alakkarai area near Coonoor for the last one week, carrying two cubs on its back, is attracting tourists.
People come to Alakkarai, surrounded by tea gardens, to click photos of the animal, said Murugan, a local resident. “Tourists throng the place to have a glimpse of the animal with its cute cubs.”
The bear seemed not bothered about the crowds.
But wildlife activists requested the forest department to take stock of such situation, taking into consideration the danger the animal poses to human lives. “It may be thrilling to watch and click pictures of the animal. But it might become aggressive any time. The forest department should act immediately to chase it into deep forest or capture it by installing a cage,” an activist said.
Watchers of the forest department are monitoring the bear’s movement, assistant conservator of forests Saravanakumar told TOI.