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Journalism of Courage
A video of a man feeding a bottle of soft drink to a wild bear has sparked widespread outrage. The incident reportedly occurred in Nara village in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district.
The clip is believed to have been shot for an Instagram reel, Punjab Kesari reported. The now-viral video shows the individual approaching the animal while holding a bottle of “Maaza,” a popular mango-flavoured drink. The man can be seen placing the bottle in front of the animal, walking away, and smiling at the camera as the bear picks up the bottle and drinks from it.
The video triggered sharp criticism from wildlife experts, prompting the Forest Department to launch an investigation to identify and locate the man, the report said. Sharing the video, the X handle @TimesAlgebraIND wrote, “Chhattisgarh youth feeds wild bear Maaza for reel. Probe ordered !! How will such careless reel stunts stop?”
See the viral video here:
Several social media users condemned the act, with a user commenting, “Bears are known for their predatory behaviour. Unless you adopt it in it’s childhood and rise it, don’t even try to do this,” a user wrote. “Such reckless stunts endanger both humans and animals; strict awareness campaigns and legal action are essential,” another user commented.
“When likes become more important than life, such dangerous stunts happen. Feeding a wild bear Maaza may look funny on reels, but it’s reckless for both human and animal. Strict action, digital literacy, and responsible content creation are the only way to stop this madness before it costs lives,” a third user reacted.
Last month, a video of a Spanish tourist pouring beer down an elephant’s trunk sparked backlash on social media. The man posted the video on his Instagram profile but deleted it after the criticism. Ol Jogi Conservancy in Kenya’s Laikipia County, where the incident occurred, issued a statement, calling the tourists’ behaviour “unacceptable, dangerous, and completely against the establishment’s values.”
