Ooty: The man-bear conflict saw a sudden surge over the past 24 hours here in the hills as two persons, including a forester, sustained injuries, with the bear menace again popping up in dry weather conditions in Nilgiris.
On Thursday one Sivaraj (54) while proceeding to Adhigaratti village from Coonoor in his two-wheeler was confronted by a group of wild bears which were standing on the road side at Kunnakombai area near Adhigaratti.
Sensing danger, he tried to escape when the bears were on the verge of charging him. But, he fell down and injured his leg. Those in the nearby vicinity ran to his help and shifted him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
But, on Friday morning the bear menace in the woods of Masinagudi limits in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve(MTR) was really shocking as a forester was injured in the bear attack.
Forest sources said that one Annadurai (50), working as forest guard in the MTR, was along with a team of foresters for a routine perambulation duty inside the woods at Masinagudi limits.
By around 12.30 pm, a wild bear which suddenly appeared from the nearby bushes turned ferocious and attacked Annadurai. Annadurai and his colleagues had to fight hard to chase off the bear.
However, Annadurai sustained multiple scratch injuries in his body and was bleeding inside the woods. His colleagues made arrangements to shift to the nearby hospital in Masinagudi bazaar.
After preliminary treatment there, he was shifted to Coimbatore for further treatment. Foresters, keeping their fingers crossed, are now discussing strategies to curb this menace.
