Speaking to the media on Wednesday, tribal villagers of the area said six of them who had gone to work at a jhum field came under attack from a bear and her cubs who live in a nearby cave. (File Photo)
A group of farmers who had gone to work at a jhum field were attacked by a wild bear and her cubs, leaving one of the farmers seriously injured in North Tripura district’s Damcherra village on Wednesday.
Jhum is the traditional method of shifting cultivation or slash and burn agriculture practised by the tribals.
According to the authorities, the injured farmer, 39-year-old Amitabha Reang, received trauma wounds on his head and is currently undergoing treatment at the Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital at Agartala. Reang is currently stable and is being monitored, the doctors said.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, tribal villagers of the area said six of them who had gone to work at a jhum field came under attack from a bear and her cubs who live in a nearby cave.
“We had worked in the field for an hour or so and were chatting while taking a rest when the bear attacked us,” said Reang’s younger brother.
Reang was initially rushed to a nearby hospital, from where he was rushed to the GBP hospital.
Damcherra is a village located right across the inter-state boundary of Tripura with Mizoram, adjoining the latter’s Mamit district.
Earlier on July 10, 2023, a 45-year-old man was killed after he came in front of a wild tusker at the Shantinagar village in Teliamura of Khowai district, 40 km from Agartala city.
With increasing human activities in the forests, settlements and illegal encroachments, instances of animals visiting human habitations, destroying crops and rural habitations is increasing every year.
In April 2022, a 44-year-old woman sustained serious injuries in a wild bear attack in the Shantirbazaar subdivision of South Tripura district.