Himalayan black bear shot dead by Uttarakhand forest officials in self-defence
Himalayan black bears can be found in and around Himalayan meadows at an elevation of 10,000 to 12,000 feet high. They come down to 5,000-6000 feet in winter months in search of food. The Himalayan black bear has been listed as a vulnerable species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
A Himalayan black bear was shot dead by Uttarakhand forest officials in Joshimath area of Chamoli district. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Forest range officer, Joshimath, Chetna Kandpal, said that after the bear attacked five people in last one week or so, permission was sought for tranquilising it.
“When a team of two veterinary doctors shot two darts at it on Tuesday evening, it was still moving and attacked the team of forest officials which went ahead to catch it with a net. As it attacked them, they shot at it in self-defence,” she said.
Kandpal said after being hit by the bullet, the team of forest officials tried to save it. “It was being taken for treatment to a nearby facility, but it died on the way,” she said.,
According to forest officials, with the onset of winters, bear attacks increase as bears come down from snowy higher reaches in search of food.
Himalayan black bears can be found in and around Himalayan meadows at an elevation of 10,000 to 12,000 feet high. They come down to 5,000-6000 feet in winter months in search of food. The Himalayan black bear has been listed as a vulnerable species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
Incidents of man-bear conflict are reported in the state from time to time.
In November last year, a 47-year-old man was killed by a Himalayan black bear in Chamoli district. In the first week of September last year, a 48-year-old man was killed by a bear in Pithoragarh district. The victim was a labourer working on a road project on Munsiyari-Milam road stretch.