In times where increasing man-animal conflicts are leading to panic and fear among both people and creatures, Aategaon, a village in Bhandara district close to the boundary of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, has set an example of man-animal love and coexistence, winning the praise of several conservationists, wildlife researchers as well as forest officials. The villagers 'lived' with a female sloth bear who had given birth to two cubs in an abandoned house there for over 50 days.

The joint initiative started by the forest department and villagers, which began in Diwali last November, ended on January 2, after the bear finally left the house with both cubs clinging to her back. Residents said they have been regularly sighting the mother and the cubs around their village even now.

The whole stay has been documented by Dombivli-based wildlife enthusiast Mandar Sawant, who travelled to the village several times between November and December. He now plans to use it to create awareness in Mumbai and Thane where human-leopard conflict has people on edge.

The 52-day taleAategaon deputy sarpanch Vasanta Hatwar first heard cries coming from a house he had bought two years ago, which is in a dilapidated condition and was used to store wood. It's adjacent to his current home.

"It was Diwali day; I thought it was puppies crying. I and a few family members decided to check. We scanned the room with a torch and saw a huge sloth bear charging at us, then stopping midway and going back," said

Hatwar, adding that they were shaken and later realised that the bear had given birth.

Worried villagers soon alerted the wildlife as well as territorial forest department. "The house being extremely congested and dark, we ruled out using a cage to trap her or tranquilising the animal as there was the possibility of her attacking in self-defence. We instead decided to build the confidence of locals and gradually convinced them to allow the bear to stay where she was. Our staff with the help of locals set up temporary fencing around the house, forest guards were posted for round-the-clock vigilance," said Sandeep Gaware, forest officer of Umarzari range.

Later, a meeting was held in the village and it was decided that no one would venture close to the house or near a pond close to the village post 6pm as that was the time the bear used to come out and move around in search of food.

Sawant said, "The forest staff and volunteers from the village used to block the entrance to the room with a makeshift bamboo barricade at 6am and open it at 6pm. They also set up camera traps to study the bear's movement and put large quantities of ash outside the house daily to ascertain if she had ventured out and returned, based on footprints."

According to him, initially the bear only moved out once or twice in four-five days, but later on, she started going out every night in search of food. "My friend Sanchit More and I moved around the place to understand why she had chosen this place to give birth as sloth bears are very selective about this. Soon, we realised that it was because the house was dark and abandoned with several Ber trees around it as well as a pond," he said, adding that the bear even dug out soil from farms to feast on termites.

Deputy conservator of forest of Bhandara division NR Pravin appreciated the villagers' initiative, saying they have set a praiseworthy example for the entire country. "Sloth bears are known to be aggressive animals, especially the females with cubs. Fortunately, the villagers came together and, with the help of our staff, a detailed plan was drawn (to tackle the situation). Even then, every single day for almost two months was a big challenge for both the villagers and the forest department as many precautions had to be taken by around 800 people living in Aategaon. Hence, it came as a huge relief to know that the bear had left the village with her cubs and everyone was safe," he added.

Bidding bye to the bearThe staff patrolling the house saw the bear with the cubs on her back moving around till 4am on the morning of January 2. When she did not return to the house, villagers gathered, realising that the bear, who had become a part of their village, had finally left.

An example for the big citiesSawant said his main purpose of visiting the village was to not only bring back an example for Mumbai and Thane, where a mere spotting of a leopard causes people to demand trapping the big cats, but also to acknowledge the work of the villagers and forest officials.

"I will be publishing a detailed article for one of the environment magazines and will also try to use the documentation to create awareness on how our urban areas of Mumbai and Thane can coexist with leopards by taking simple precautions," he said, adding that he spoke to the deputy director (natural history) of the Bombay Natural History Society and presented the villagers and forest officials with certificates of appreciation.

ExpertspeakThe story of Aategaon will surely inspire people of Mumbai, where leopard is often considered a problem animal. It will help people change their mindset and encourage them to understand that just by taking some precautions and learning to live with leopards all can exist safely and peacefully—Dr Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist

Acts like these are the need of the hour to save wildlife. Hence, we at BNHS acknowledged and appreciated this partnership of villagers and forest department—Issac Kehimkar, deputy director (natural history), BNHS