Kaghan boy dies in bear attack

Muhammad Yousuf was killed by a bear while coming back home with his herd of goats and sheep from Kund Bangla jungle

KAGHAN: An 18-year-old boy Muhammad Yousuf was mauled and killed by a bear while coming back home with his herd of goats and sheep from jungle of Kund Bangla. According to village people, Muhammad Yousuf Noor while returning home in the evening with a herd of goats was attacked by a wild bear.

The nearby people rushed towards the spot after hearing the growls of the bear and the cries of the boy and witnessed the boy being thrown into a ravine.

Noor died on the spot. Bear encounters are not common in the area whereas leopard and wolfs attack has been witnessed in the past. The residents of Kund Salbori were unclear that what prompted the bear to attack.



In May 2016, a man was wounded in a bear attack in Mahandri Bachla village in Mansehra.

According to police 70-year-old Waliur Rehman was in a field in the village when he was attacked by a wild bear. The villagers heard his screams, rushed to the field and rescued him.

A number of people have been injured in bear-attacks in Mansehra district. On November 8, 2015, three people were injured after being attacked by bears in separate incidents in Kaghan Valley. On October 20, 2015, a minor was wounded in a bear attack in a village in Jabar Devli union council of Mansehra.

The attacks, according to wildlife experts, were due to people encroaching upon habitat of the bears.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2017.