Elderly man killed in bear attack in Pauri

Dehradun: A 74-year-old man was mauled to death by a bear while herding goats in the forests near his home in Pauri Garhwal district on Sunday morning.
Birbal Singh, a resident of Tolyo tauk in Birgana Gram Sabha, was accompanied by his daughter-in-law who was cutting grass on the upper side of the seasonal rivulet, while he climbed down the slope for grazing when the bear ambushed him. Locals said that Singh struggled and fought with the bear before succumbing to the attack.
Hearing his cries for help, his daughter-in-law and nearby villagers rushed to the spot and found his dismembered body. "Half of his face was badly mutilated. An eye, tongue, and half of his face were missing when we found the body," said Anup Patwal, a resident of Tolyo.
Forest officials arrived at the scene, met with the family, and provided an initial ex-gratia of Rs 1.8 lakh. KS Bhandari, forest guard of the Ghadsari forests, said, "Prima facie it is a bear attack and we have increased patrolling in the area. Bear sightings are not uncommon here, however, this is the first such fatal incident in this area. We have urged villagers to remain cautious and avoid going alone into forested areas or dense bushes to prevent any untoward incidents or conflict with wild animals."
The incident comes just days after a woman was mauled to death by a big cat last Saturday in the buffer zone of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve in Pauri. Sightings of wildlife near human habitations have increased in the recent past due to multiple factors, including anthropogenic pressure due to urbanisation close to the forests, improper disposal of solid waste close to the forest areas and fragmentation of wildlife corridors. Forest officials also attribute it to the rising population of wild animals.