Bear still feared at large at Swastik

GANGTOK, 10 Dec: The bear, which mauled a BRO employee here last week, is feared to still be at large up in the BRO campus at Swastik, stretching from the Burtuk area to the Selep Tank area above, and this has got the people living up there all rattled. On 07 December, a BRO supervisor was mauled by a Himalayan Black Bear in the compound near Selep water reservoir and is still recovering from his injuries at the STNM hospital. The bear meanwhile has neither been captured nor does it appear inclined to return to the jungles above.
BRO officials contend that there have been regular sightings of the bear especially in the evenings in the campus. As informed, the bear has been lurking around the family quarters of the GREF and BRO officials at Swastik and this has terrified the families staying there. The people there are now required to be on alert and extra cautious while venturing out, especially in the evenings. The bear attack had however occurred at around 9 in the morning.
While officials of the Forest and Wildlife Department had claimed that there would be efforts to capture the animal or ensure that it retreated to the forest area, the residents of the area claim that while Forest officials were in the area on the day of the attack, none have been seen since.
In this regard BRO has requested the concerned agency to look into their problem, it is informed.
Soon after the bear had attacked the BRO labour supervisor a team of Forest department had rushed to the spot with a cage, tranquilizers and other required equipment. The people residing in the area had also been sensitized and alerted against allowing children out late in the evening. That said, there are several people residing up at the Swastik and Selep Tanki area who return home from work late at night and are vulnerable to attacks if the animal is still there.