THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, February 29: A 32-year-old tribal identified as Chathu Nath Singh of Serka village under the Ramgarh police station limits in Palamu has lost almost all the fingers of both of his hands in a bear attack on him while he was out grazing his buffalo late Wednesday.
The bear survivor’s brother Divyesh Singh said, “Like all other days my brother Chathu took out his buffaloes and goats for grazing in the nearby jungles of Serka on Wednesday when around noon a bear made a violent attack on him destroying his fingers and thumbs.”
The bear was alone but ferocious, he said. There was a grapple between the bear and his brother.
On being asked if bear or any other wild life surfaces in the jungles of Serka to which Divyesh said, “The jungle is close to the tiger reserve Palamu. Here do come bear and leopard. It is the first incident when a bear has attacked human.”
Divyesh Singh said the MMCH staff are taking all care of his brother. The bear survivor was transfused one unit of O + blood which Divyesh said he donated.
Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar reading out his OPD ticket said there has taken place amputation of all fingers and thumb of left hand following the bite or chew on it by the bear.
There is no good news for his right hand either, said the civil surgeon. It has irregular laceration over right thumb, index finger and middle finger.
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Dr Anil Kumar said the bear victim has to have now refashioning of the amputated stumps for fingers and thumbs.
The bear attack survivor is stable and responding to treatment, said the nurse Shabana.
This is the second episode of bear attacking humans and injuring them severely.
Last week, a primitive tribal Korwa was injured by a bear in the Kutku range of PTR. The bear had damaged his face like anything.
A bear is generally believed to be herbivory eating fruits, plants, nuts and honey etc.
However the eating or chewing on fingers and thumbs of this tribal by bear has come as a big surprise.
It is said that polar bear eats seals there but here there is no history of bear eating human flesh. This is the first episode where fingers and thumbs taken away by the bear.
Bear mauls humans with ferocity like tearing off muscles one pound per square inch in few seconds only.
Again when a bear is extremely hungry, stressed or feel threatened by humans, it does not mind eating human flesh. It is also true bear diet does not contain human flesh but rare episodes of eating human flesh come in.
This incident comes close to one more bizarre episode that took place in Daltonganj this week itself.
A cow owner Sanjay Singh said his jersey cow killed a 4-foot-long python and took some parts of the snake body into her mouth but before the cow could have chewed it or gulped down it, he saw it and got out of her mouth.
The cow is all fine and healthy and there is no impact of snake between her teeth on her health. The cow is active like any other day.
