Hyderabad: A forest watcher was injured after a bear attacked him during the ongoing tiger census operations in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve on Sunday, forest officials said.Uduthanuri Sailu, a watcher from Kollam Penta village, was on duty in the Turkapalli forest beat of Amrabad mandal when the incident occurred.
He sustained minor injuries to his hands while trying to escape the animal.
Forest range officer Veeresham said Sailu was immediately shifted in a forest department vehicle to the Amrabad govt hospital, where he received first aid and an anti-rabies vaccine. “There is no danger to his life. He suffered an injury to the thumb,” the ranger said.Second incident during tiger estimationThe incident comes days after a forest watcher died during the All India Tiger Estimation exercise in the same reserve.
Dasari Srinivas, 24, collapsed on January 20, during a morning transect walk near Mannanur village on the second day of the census.Colleagues rushed Srinivas to a primary health centre in Mannanur and later to the Achampet govt hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Officials said he died of cardiac arrest. Forest department officials said Srinivas was survived by his wife and three children, and that ex gratia would be provided as per rules.Principal chief conservator of forests C Suvarna said a sloth bear also attacked another person in Danthepally village in the reserved forest area.The injured was identified as N Siddaiah, son of Yellaiah, a resident of Danthepally.“The watcher is alright. Elsewhere, a bear attacked a villager who entered the forest alone, and he escaped with minor injuries as he was carrying a stick,” Suvarna added.
