SHIMLA: Panic gripped Kochdi village of Rampur subdivision in Shimla district on Friday after bears reportedly attacked two women who were collecting fodder for the cows. The seriously injured women were rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) for treatment. They have been identified as Hema Devi and Heera Devi.

Hema Devi, who is also the panchayat member of village, sustained maximum injuries in the attack. According to official sources, it is a common practice for villagers to head towards forest areas to collect wood and fodder for domestic use during winter months. On Friday, Hema and Heera had gone to forest like any other day.

As they reached near the forest, a group of bears attacked them on their face, arms and other parts of the body. In panic, the two women screamed, upon which the bears left and fled towards the dense forest. Hearing their desperate cries, villagers ran towards the spot only to find the two women lying unconscious in a pool of blood, they said. With the help of ambulance, villagers shifted them to a nearby hospital from where they were shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla for further treatment.

Man-animal conflict has increased in Himachal Pradesh in recent years with wild boars, black bears and monkeys damaging standing crops, besides instances of lifting of domestic animals by leopards and attack on humans were also being reported.

The otherwise dwindling population of wild animals has seen an increase since the imposition of total ban on hunting since 1984, sources said. Extension of agriculture, coupled with increased human interference in hitherto undisturbed areas, has led to greater human-animal conflict, said an official from wildlife department. Stray cases of injuries to people and loss of human lives in attacks by leopards and black bears have been reported in the state, he added.

