Bear creates panic in Nainital city

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 10

A bear entered the lake city of Nainital today and created panic among residents.

Incidents of leopards and elephants entering residential areas have been reported several times but the sight of a bear this time has left residents as well as the forest authorities in a tizzy.

Morning walkers in Nainital city were today aghast at seeing a bear swimming across the Naini Lake, an uncommon sight for them. Nainital is thronged by tourists round-the-year and presence of bear in downtown Nainital could be a threat to human lives.

Fortunately, from the Nainital Lake, the bear entered the Ayarpatta forests. The bear is reported to have also made a vain attempt to scale a hotel in which the animal also sustained minor injuries. Forest authorities were frequently searching for the bear in the Tiffin Top where the bear was last seen. Blood stains left by the bleeding bear could also be seen in the forest evidently hinting that the bear was injured. According to forest authorities, the bear on being nabbed will be provided with medical treatment before being set free in the forest area.

After leopard and elephant, bears are most fearsome animals in Uttarakhand with several deaths taking place every year in the state in incidents involving humans. Besides humans, incidents of bears killing cows, horses, bullocks, and buffalos and damaging crops are also rampant in the state.

Maize crops grown in Uttarakhand hills are most sought after by the bears.

Three species of bears, namely the sloth bear, Asiatic black bear and the Himalayan brown bear are found in Uttarakhand. The bear presence is found in the hill districts of Almora, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Bageshwar, and Chamoli Bageshwar and Uttarkashi and Joshimath in Chamoli districts, and have been worst affected due to man-bear conflict.

Over 400 persons have suffered injuries in bear attack incidents since 2000 revealing the seriousness of the situation. On the other hand bear is also hunted by poachers in the state for its high value bile. Interestingly, the state some time back had come up with the State Bear Conservation Action Plan but sincere efforts to reduce human losses by bears have been a far cry.