A woman was mauled to death and another seriously injured after being attacked by bears in the Dhimla panchayat in Chamba on Friday. The victims, Pinki Devi (44) and her sister-in-law Thanthi Devi (56), were collecting fodder for their cattle in the Kalwara forest near their village when the bears attacked them.
Pinki Devi succumbed to her injuries, while Thanthi Devi, who sustained serious injuries, has been admitted to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College, where her condition is stated to be stable. According to Pawan Kumar, the deceased’s nephew, the incident occurred around 10 am. Villagers rushed to the scene after hearing their screams and managed to scare the bears away. They then rushed the victims to a nearby health facility, where Pinki Devi was pronounced dead on arrival.
A team of forest department officials arrived at the scene and are taking measures to drive the bears back into the forest, including bursting firecrackers and making loud noises with drums. Chamba Chief Conservator of Forests Abhilash Damodran said an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 has been provided to the family of the deceased woman and Rs 5,000 to the family of the injured. Further compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased once the case is processed.
The forests in Chamba district are home to several wild animal species, including Himalayan Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear. Bear sightings and encounters are common in Chamba, with black bears often venturing into habitations in search of food, resulting in encounters with humans. Several bear attacks have been reported across the district this year, highlighting the ongoing human-wildlife conflict in the region. Recently, a bear had ventured into a sweet shop in Jot village, and in another incident, a female bear and her cub were electrocuted to death after climbing an electric transformer in Dalhousie town.