BESUT: A 120kg sun bear was safely captured in Kampung Kubang Ikan yesterday, after it was reported roaming at a nearby village earlier in the morning.
Terengganu Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Loo Kean Seong said the bear had been sighted around Kampung Gong Badang early in the morning and the department was called in help capture it.
"Based on reports from local residents and our Besut team's monitoring, we managed to track the animal to Kampung Kubang Ikan, where the team tranquilised the male bear before caging it for relocation.
"It was released back into its natural habitat later the same day," he said.
He said the bear had most likely wandered into the area from a nearby forest reserve.
A resident of Kampung Kubang Ikan, Muhammad Amimutmin Safie, 26, recalled being startled to see the bear in a padi field while heading to work around 9am.
"I had just stopped at a shop when some villagers mentioned they had seen a bear near Kampung Gong Badang. I quickly recorded a video of the bear wandering in Kampung Kubang Ikan to warn others to be cautious," he said.
Amimutmin said the bear did not show aggression toward passing motorcyclists and instead moved into the padi field.
He estimated the distance between where he had stopped and where the bear was to be about 100m.
"This is the first time a bear has wandered into our village. We're relieved that Perhilitan acted swiftly and safely returned the bear to its natural home," he added.