PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
A female bear along with her two cubs strayed into the home of a villager from Malla under Bhatwari development block in Uttarkashi district. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the home and the video soon went viral, leaving the people from the village and its neighbouring ones in panic.
The CCTV footage clearly showed the female bear roaming around the courtyard of the house with her two cubs. After some time, the bear family climbed to the roof. The two cubs are seen in the video playing and fighting with each other with the female bear occasionally separating them. The Forest officers said that the bears seemed to have entered the house in search of food. People inside the house remained stuck in till the bear family left and returned to the forest. The villagers, however, remain in a state of fear. They said that bear activity had increased in the area over the past few months. They were now entering villages and even into houses, they added.
While commenting on the incident, the divisional forest officer, DP Baluni said that landslides during the monsoon season had damaged bear habitats in many areas. “Climate change is also a major factor,” he said and added that cages have been installed in sensitive areas and constant monitoring is underway.
The head of Jhala Gram Panchayat, Abhishek Rautla said that wildlife attacks are occurring in the district at regular intervals. Social activist Dinesh Panwar echoed the same view, saying that leopards and bears are increasingly straying into villages. They said that the Forest department should draw up a long-term plan to ensure adequate food for wild animals inside the forests. Villagers said that the elderly, women and children do not step out after dark. “Even going to the fields and cattle sheds has become risky,” said one of them. They demanded that the Forest department install solar lights, a siren system and a quick response team around the village. Besides, they stressed that special arrangements should be made for the school-going children and those villagers who venture out for work in the morning and evening.
