Keonjhar: Panic spread in Ghatagaon forest range area after a man was mauled to death by a wild bear at Binajhari village under Ghatagaon police limits of Keonjhar district. The incident occurred when the victim identified as Chaitanya Naik, 58, a native of Binajhari village, went to a nearby pond surrounded by Atei reserve forest to attend nature’s call in the wee hours of Wednesday. Later villagers found his mutilated body lying in a pool of blood on the ground at some distance from the road and informed the Forest personnel.
On being informed, Forest personnel rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. Later police also visited the spot and sent the body to the Ghatagaon Community Health Center (CHC) for post-mortem. Villagers revealed that Chaitanya was mauled to death by a wild bear while going to the nearby pond through the forest road from Tikarpada Sahi at 4 am Wednesday. The bear attacked Chaitanya and fatally injured him in the head and chest. He reportedly bled to death on the spot. Forest and police officials said that circumstantial evidence is indicative of the villager’s death due to a bear attack. Evidence suggests that Chaitanya had a desperate scuffle with the bear to survive. But finally, he gave up and died after being critically mauled by the animal.
Additional Conservator of Forests in charge of the Ghatgaon range, Pravat Kuanr, said that the deceased is not survived by any of his kin to be compensated. Kuanr said the wild bear often comes from the Atei reserve forest area to the nearby village to eat ripe mangoes. Therefore, people have been warned through the public address system to remain vigilant and not to step out of their homes in the early morning or evening.
