Harvest time brings the Himalayan Black Bear out of forest cover

DEPTT TAKES PREVENTIVE MEASURES, SENSITIZES PUBLIC
AMEET OBEROI
GANGTOK, 26 July: During the months of July-October, the Himalayan Black Bear leaves the cover of forest and ventures out in search of food. This is the time when they can come in contact with humans and also destroy standing crops.
To avoid all such conflicts between man and animal, the East Wildlife Division of the Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department [FE&WMD] conducted a meeting with the local people of Sumick, Thangsing and Khamdong [which falls under the Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary] recently to sensitize and bring awareness regarding the same.
Speaking to NOW! Assistant Conservator of Forest [Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary], ST Bhutia informed that it has been 04 to 05 years now that they have been receiving reports of man and animal conflicts including crop damage by bears from the above mentioned areas [Sumick, Thangsing and Khamdong] as these villages fall under the Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary. In the last five years there have been only two reports of bear attacks on villagers in these areas, he added.
The bears come out mainly during the harvesting season of maize, which falls usually around this time of the year, he said and added that it was not that there was no food in the jungles but because maize becomes easy food for the bears. To minimize such crop damages by bears, the department is using food and fruit plants, including maize in the forest areas so that the bears do not come out to agricultural lands to feed, he stated.
Since this is the time when the bears get easy food [maize], there are chances of human encounters with these animals and in order to prevent this, field staff have been posted at the villages and officers make visits on a regular basis, the ACF informed. The field staff and villagers have been provided with crackers, search lights, drums and a cage has also been kept along with a tranquilizer gun for use if needed, he added.
“We have also taken the help of the local villagers as volunteers [04 locals] which is a plus point because as locals of the area they know the locality and the area well and this will be a great help for the field staff, the watchers, the Range Officer and the Block Officer present”, the ACF stated and added that patrolling is done during the night as the bears move around especially at night and not during the day time.
The department has also conducted sensitization and awareness programmes for the people of the area and even school children, including the teachers were cautioned on the subject, he said and added that the department was trying its level best to control the situation. Some relief and compensation had also been provided to the locals for crop damages, he further informed.
Meanwhile, Divisional Forest Officer [Wildlife, East] Ravi Kumar informed that the department had also purchased torches which would soon be distributed to the villagers. “We are also carrying out census of the Himalayan Black Bear and assessing the population and the carrying capacity of the Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary”, he stated.
The DFO Wildlife informed that a complaint was recieved on 19 July from the Panchayat President of Sumick regarding crop damage by a bear in the area, so the department immediately deployed field staff at the reported area the very next day. A team of 5 Forest Officers and 4 local volunteers have begun patrolling the area from 20 July, he stated. The team is ready for tranquilizing the animal and for combing operations whenever an animal is reported in agricultural fields, he added.
A meeting regarding the same was also held which was attended by the Panchayat President [Sumick], the local public from Sumick, Thangsing and Khamdong, ACF [FWLS], Range Officer [FWLS, West] and the field staff, he informed.
The DFO [Wildlife, East] has appealed to the people of East Sikkim to restrict their movement into the sanctuary area as well as dense forested areas, especially during early mornings and late evenings as bears come out during that time. He has asked the school children to be accompanied by at least one adult and urged the locals to move around in groups of three or more.