SRIKAKULAM: The forest officials launched a detailed probe into the sloth bear’s death, following multiple videos of enraged villagers fatally beating the wild animal to death, surfaced on various social media platforms.
It may be recalled that two farmers were killed and another was injured in a bear attack on the outskirts of Anakapalle village in Vajrapukotturu mandal in Srikakulam district on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Appikonda Kuruma Rao (50) and Sidipalli Lokanatham (45).
Reports indicate that a mob of irate locals resorted to pelting stones and striking the bear with wooden sticks in an attempt to rescue individuals under attack. However, the bear succumbed to death in the villager’s attack. This allegedly prompted them to bury the corpse in a remote location on the outskirts of village due to apprehensions surrounding wildlife regulations.
The authorities launched an inquiry into both the human casualties and the bear’s death. Sources indicate teams comprising forest and police personnel are tasked with corroborating the events recorded in the videos. If the death of the animal will be confirmed officially, efforts will be made to locate its carcass for further investigation and postmortem analysis to ascertain the precise cause of death.
While individuals are permitted to defend themselves against wildlife attacks, any involvement in the illegal hunting of animals or poaching will result in legal repercussions under wildlife protection laws. Officials have emphasised the current absence of conclusive proof regarding the bear’s death. We are conducting investigation in Anakapalli and its surrounding areas in search of the corpse. If we get the carcass, we will send it to the postmortem to determine the cause of its deaths,” the forest officials said.