Forest officials have apprehended a farmer in connection with the death of a young bear in Yadehalli village, Holehonnuru hobli. The operation was led by Bhadravathi division Deputy Conservator of Forests Ravindra Kumar and Channagiri subdivision Assistant Conservator of Forests Shridhar Tegginamani, with Shantisagara Range Forest Officer Lakshman Naik T Chauhan and his team executing the plan on the ground.
The probe found that Govindappa, son of the late Kannappa and resident of Doddaseege, had allegedly installed an illegal high‑voltage electric fence around his arecanut plantation, which electrocuted an approximately three‑year‑old male bear. The accused is said to have buried the carcass in a trench on his farm to conceal the incident.
Forest officers located the site on Saturday, recovered the bear’s body and charged Govindappa under Sections 9 and 39 (read with Sections 2(16), 36, 50 and 51) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. He was presented before a local court in Bhadravathi and remanded to judicial custody, while wildlife veterinarian Muruli Manohar performed the autopsy.