M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Sept 5: A 45-year-old tribal named Chaitu Turi was mauled by a bear in the jungles of the Palamu Tiger Reserve between Chutiya and Pahar Kapu, about 125 km away from Daltonganj, in the wee hours of Sunday. He was out in the jungles to collect bamboo for the upcoming Karma festival.
The bear left his scalp in blood and also tore off the muscles of the left hand. There is a fracture in his left hand too as stated by the Ranger Pandey.
Pandey said that the injured man was first rushed to the community health centre at Mahuadnr from where, after his first aid, was referred to the Latehar Sadar hospital.
“We have given him Rs 10,000 for his treatment and we will be giving more money as per his medical needs arising from time to time,” said the Mahuadnr Ranger.
Notably, baskets made of bamboo do brisk business during the Karma festival and Turis are the ones who eke out their living by making and selling bamboo baskets in festivals like Karma, Chhath etc.
As the Karma festival is on Tuesday, September 6, Turi was out alone in the jungles to cut the bamboo for some woodcraft to be sold when a healthy adult bear made a frontal attack on him leaving him in a pool of blood.
Ranger Pandey said there is no way out to contain the attack of bear except that people who go into the jungles should be on guard against bears themselves.
Moreover, he addied that the villagers just go into the jungles for dry wood, herbs, seeds, barks, cattle and goat grazing and some become a victim of wildlife attack. He adviced that they should carry long sticks with them and that solo entry into the jungles is fraught with dangers.
Notably, this is the third incident in just a month and is definitely a matter of concern, reminded Pandey. One life has also been lost in the bear attack in the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
Villagers living in and around the Palamu Tiger Reserve bear the brunt of either the attack of the elephants or of bears. Blissfully, there is no reported case of any mauling by the leopards whose count in the tiger reserve is more than 115.
The deputy director South division of PTR Mukesh Kumar said, “Our constant appeal to villagers is not to remain alone in the jungles even when using the trodden path to either reach village market or home as there may appear to bear any moment, go in vain.”
Kumar said that jungles are jungles and out here, it is the wildlife that runs its writ.
The deputy director South conceded that such attacks by elephants or bears do precipitate the conflict between man and wildlife.
Sources said there is one incident in the tiger reserve around 20 years back where a bear was killed in a water body as it had intruded into the human habitation.
Mahuadanr range of the Palamu Tiger Reserve has wolf and bear but the wolf, despite its notorious image, has no incident of attacking any human being in the PTR.
