3 bears kill farmer in Hosadurga; villagers club one animal to death

Mangalore Today News Network

Chitradurga, Nov 19, 2015, DHNS:Three bears pounced on a farmer and killed him at Tanigehalli village in Hosadurga taluk on Wednesday. The enraged villagers chased a bear and killed it.

The deceased has been identified as Dharanendrappa (40). He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Eyewitnesses said Mylarappa (55), who rushed to the rescue of the victim, sustained severe injuries.

The incident occurred at 6.30 am when Dharanendrappa was working in his coconut garden. Three bears, which were hiding in a bush, attacked him simultaneously.

As the news spread, hundreds of villagers rushed to the spot and attempted to chase the bears away. While two ran away from the spot, one did not budge. The villagers attacked it with clubs and killed the animal.

The residents said the Gavisiddeshwara hill near the village had become a shelter for bears. They claimed that the Forest department did not take any steps though the villagers informed it of movement of bears. A case has been registered at the Hosadurga police station.

Leopard kills shepherd

Meanwhile in Siddapur village in Sandur taluk of Ballari district, a leopard attacked a shepherd. He is the third victim from the village to be attacked by a leopard in the last couple of months.

Karadi Bharalingappa (60) , a resident of Hattikolla area, had been to the fields to graze his goats. On noticing his goats panic-stricken, he got up to see what was wrong. When he saw a leopard feasting on one of the goats, Bharalingappa tried to save it from the man-eater.

The leopard dropped the goat and attacked Bharalingappa. His family members, who witnessed the incident, tried to save Bharalingappa. But the man-eater had dragged the body 40 metres away.

When the leopard saw a group of men advancing towards it, it abandoned the body and escaped into the woods. When his family members rushed to the spot, Bharalingappa was already dead.

In October, Mabusab and Prakash Nayak, from Susheelanagar near Siddapur village, were attacked by a leopard. When villagers demanded security, the Forest department deployed sharpshooters to shoot down the animal.

Residents petrified

Wednesday’s incident has once again left the residents petrified. They suspect that the leopard shot dead by the sharpshooters may have been a man-eater. The residents staged a road block, protesting against the Forest department’s failure to tackle the menace.