After a three-day-long search and rescue operation for the bear that had wandered off into a human settlement near Bhaata Chowk, Rawalpindi in Sept 2023, rescuers managed to trace out the furry creature.

Initially, the bear was spotted by a security guard who captured a video of the bear on his mobile phone, and locals promptly alerted both Rescue 1122 and the Wildlife Department.

The furry creature, reportedly sighted near Bhatta Chowk within the limits of Naseerabad police station had mysteriously disappeared, leaving residents in a state of fear for the past three days.

The police managed to trace out the whereabouts of the bear with the help of CCTV cameras installed in the area and eventually reached a house only to find the animal tied with ropes by a local citizen.

The police safely recovered the animal and at first shifted it to the police station from where it was handed over to the rescue officials.

A Wildlife official clarified that it was a bear cub aged about one and a half years. “The bear cub does not pose a potential threat but due to its presence in the area, the locals were frightened,” he said. “It’ll be kept in the intensive care for a few days before being released into the forest,” he added.