Following the unfortunate bear attack incident that took place on 16 March in Marepkong, Mokokchung town, a team of Mokokchung Forest Division staff visited the site and the victim’s family to gather firsthand information on the incident.
According to the department, the unfortunate incident occurred on 16 March 2023 around 11:00 am at Ungma village territory, approximately at a distance of 556 meters from the victim’s house.
The victim, a retired police constable, aged about 64 years went out with a companion for foraging purposes. On their way, they were suddenly attacked by a bear at the above mentioned location which was an open scrub area.
His companion managed to flee and called for help while the victim was mauled by the bear. The victim, sustaining serious injuries, somehow succeeded in fending off the bear. Soon after, a rescue team composed of friends and neighbors reached the scene and took the victim to Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital, Mokokchung. Because of the severity of the injuries, he was immediately referred to Faith Hospital Dimapur where he was admitted the same day (16 March 2023), around midnight.
According to the department, the victim sustained several injuries on his face, arms and legs including a deep wound on his throat. At the time of inquiring into the incident, the family reported that the victim could barely whisper because of his throat injury.
From further queries, the team concluded that the bear is an Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), weighing about 70-80 kgs. It has been reported that bears have been sighted around that vicinity since the last 6/7 years.
It was further reported that the Wildlife Division have visited the victim at Faith Hospital Dimapur and aided him monetarily for emergency treatment while they also continue to monitor his health.
Forest department cautions
Talking to Mokokchung Times, Imtitongdang Ozukum, Deputy Ranger, Mokokchung Forest Division asked the people to be cautious in the area since this was not the first time a bear has been spotted in the area. It was informed that a similar incident of human-wildlife conflict took place two to three years ago in the same vicinity.
The Deputy Ranger noted that although the reason for a bear’s attack cannot be pinpointed, people have a propensity of entering the wildlife territory while going to forests, which may cause the animals to become aggressive.
“At the same time, while it has not been confirmed, we believe it is the season when the pregnancy in bears is common; thus, given the bear’s weight of 70-80 kgs, there is a probability that she was pregnant; hence that could be one of the reasons for its hostility,” he explained.
Noting that this incident was not reported to the Forest Department, he also appealed to the residents and the general public to report such incidents to the concerned department as soon as possible.
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