NUAPADA: A 47-year-old tribal woman was reportedly mauled to death by a bear in Lodra forest within Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary here on Thursday evening. The woman, Bhanobai Majhi had gone to collect cashew nuts from the nearby forest when she was attacked by the bear.
The wild animal reportedly devoured some of her body parts after killing her. The deceased belonged to Chhot-Lodra village under Bharuamunda panchayat. Sources said forest officials could not retrieve Majhi's body in the night as the area is frequented by Maoists.
The woman's half-eaten body was recovered on Friday morning with deep wounds on her neck, limbs, chest and head. It was sent for postmortem. Initially it was reported to be a tiger attack but forest ranger Dilip Champatiray ruled it out. "A tiger attack is different. The injuries prove that the woman was attacked by a bear," he said.
Forest officials found bear faeces near her body and footprints at certain places. Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary Ramesh Chandra Pradhan said, postmortem report was being awaited to confirm if the woman was mauled by a bear.
The deceased's family will be provided a compensation of Rs 4 lakh. There have been several recent instances of bear attacks in villages around Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary and its neighbouring areas. Due to shortage of food in the forests, many bears often stray into humans habitations.