A quiet village in Odisha’s forested Malkangiri district was briefly thrust into alarm on Friday after a bear fell into an open well, drawing attention once again to the increasingly porous boundary between human settlements and wildlife habitats.
The incident occurred in MPV-26 village
under Kalimela block, where residents discovered the animal trapped inside the well early in the morning.
Forest department officials said the bear had been sighted moving along the village periphery late on Thursday night, suggesting it may have strayed into the settlement after dark.