The teachers and students of a school located in Nabarangpur district of Odisha were in for a surprise when two wild bears were spotted in the premises of the institution.

When the staff and students of the Mernas UP School which is under Dahana panchayat spotted the creatures taking shelter in the toilet, they immediately alerted others. They also called the Nabarangpur Forest Department so that the animals could be rescued.

A team of forest officials rushed to the spot and safely rescued the bears and released them in the wild.

The Assistant Conservator of Forests, Nabarangpur Dhanurjaya Mohapatra told the media: “The wild bears were rescued from the school toilet and given a smooth passage to the nearby jungle. Our staff are further monitoring their activities.”

Continuous rain in the Mernas jungle area is forcing the bears to take shelter in manmade structures including schools. The Forest Department is monitoring the activities of the animals so that they don’t return to the school.