Post News Network
Mathili, Oct 31: In a display of rare bravery, a 70-year-old man Saturday held a bear by two of its legs and threw the animal to a distance after swirling it in air a few times to save a youth’s life.
Though it seems a tad
dramatic, it was real. The incident took place Saturday in a forest near Baladiaguda village under this block in Malkangiri district.
Mangaraj Khara (27) of the village went to forest in the wee hours to relive himself.
Suddenly, a wild bear attacked him from rear. Mangaraj tried to save himself with the help of a lathi which he was carrying with him.
The bear bit his hand, back and buttock and kept on attacking him. On the other hand, the youth, without losing hope, was trying to keep off the reach of the animal by beating it with the lathi. It was a battle for life for both which continued for about two hours.
Meanwhile, Shukra Bhumia, a 70-year-old villager, who was in the forest, heard Mangaraj’s scream for help.
The old man confronted the wild bear aggressively with his axe. Finding the bear on back foot, Bhumia held the animal by its front legs and threw it to a distance. Scared, the animal disappeared into the forest.
Alerted, the villagers went to the spot and shifted Mangaraj to the local community health
centre (CHC).
His condition is stable, Dr Pradyush Kumar Panda of the CHC said. On the other hand, Bhumia who fought valiantly with the wild animal suffered no injuries. Villagers lauded his courage and efforts saying the elderly man has defied age. .
The injured would be provided government assistance after the receipt of a written complaint from him, local forest officer Bijay Kumar Nayak said.