Fatal fall of bear caused by weather condition:Official

SA KAEO, THAILAND, February 28 (TNA) - A senior official says that a recent accident in which a bear fell from a helicopter during an operation to release it back to the wild could be caused by an abrupt change of the weather condition during the flight. Regarding last Sunday's fatal fall of the young Asian black bear when it was transported from a rescue center in the central Nakhon Nayok Province to the Khao Yai National Park, Wirat Chatuphanaporn, Director of the Protected Area Regional Office 1, eastern Prachinburi Province, told a press conference on Tuesday that the abrupt weather condition could cause the net covering the bear to shake and accidentally unlock it from the hook. Wirat said, however, that a fact-finding committee is now working to determine the cause of the accident, which can be known within a month, insisting that no one cut the net to make the bear fall to the ground. "The accident is a study case for the next transportation of the second bear, now staying at a wildlife breeding center in the eastern Sa Kaeo Province", the senior official acknowledged. The Asian black bear, weighing about 80 kilograms, was put to sleep by tranquilizer when it was carried in the net by a helicopter. Its fatal fall has sparked criticism on proper handling of wildlife transportation by park officials. According to the senior official, airlifts of bears first took place in Thailand in 2009 and the practice has also done in other countries. (TNA)