KUDLIGI (HOSAPETE) : A 45-year-old man tending to his goats was mauled to death by a bear at Halasagara village in Gudekote of Kudligi taluk on Monday afternoon. An enraged group of villagers tracked the animal down and beat it to death later.
The victim, G Obaiah (45), was grazing his goats on the outskirts of the village when the bear attacked him around 1 pm. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Obaiah, sustained grievous injuries on his head, hands, legs and other parts of the body, died on the spot. Villagers came to know about the incident towards evening and alerted the Gudekote Range Forest Officer and local police.
Discoverng that the bear was still in the vicinity, they gathered at the spot. Armed with sticks and clubs, they attacked and killed the animal, the police said. Forest and police personnel conducted an inspection and shifted Obaiah’s body for postmortem.
A senior forest official said, “We have begun an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the attack. Strict action will be taken regarding the killing of the bear as per wildlife protection laws.”