By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
In what appeared to be one of a kind, a bear has attacked and killed a middle-aged man and injured his wife in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
This is the first such incident involving a bear-man conflict in Uttarakhand where attacks by leopards and tigers on human beings are common.
The grisly incident occurred on Thursday morning in Dumak village in Chamoli district where the couple who had gone to the forest to collect woods was attacked by the bear. According to media reports, the bear first attacked Leela Devi. However, Devi’s husband, Sundar Singh, immediately came to her rescue. A fierce fight ensued between the man and the bear.
After killing Singh, the bear again attacked Devi. But after hearing the shrieks, a large number of people came running and rescued the woman, who was rushed to nearby hospital in serious condition. She was later airlifted to AIIMS in Rishikesh by a helicopter.
The bravery of Sundar Singh, who risked his life to save his wife, is being widely discussed in the village. Villagers have asked the forest department to declare the bear as man-eater.
In the month of September, a bear who killed many dogs and other domestic animals in Thalisain and other areas of Pauri district was declared dangerous to human lives under the political pressure. However, it was not yet clear whether the bear of Thalisein was the same animal which killed Singh in Chamoli.
The bear-man conflict is rare in India. “To my knowledge, I never heard any bear being declared dangerous,” said state HOFF Samir Sinha.
In 2022, a prominent magazine had carried a news story where a bear attacked and killed a man and his wife in the Panna forest area of Madhya Pradesh. After the death of the couple, a rescue team was called in which tranquilized the bear. The animal died few hours later.