VITHURA: A tribal man was seriously injured in the attack of a bear in Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram. The bear attacked Shivadasan Kani (55) in the Manali Ward of Vithura Panchayat. The incident happened yesterday at 6.30 am. Shivadasan Kani, a laborer, was on his way from home to work in the morning when the bear attacked him.

Upon seeing the bear, Shivadasan Kani screamed in fear and tried to escape by climbing onto a tree. However, the bear too followed him and attacked him. Both the feet of Shivadasan were bitten by the bear. He sustained serious injuries on his leg. Hearing the screams of Shivadasan, locals and his relatives reached the spot. The bear ran away into the forest when they pelted sticks and stones against it. In the meanwhile, Shivadasan Kani fell from the top of the tree to the ground. He was fatally injured and was immediately taken to Vithura Government Taluk Hospital in an ambulance. He was later shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College as his injury is serious.

Saw bear in the region last week as well
Tribals are saying that they saw the bear in the region last week as well. According to the tribals, bears used to come to the region from the forest to eat jackfruit. Due to fear of bear attacks, people are unable to enter the forest to collect forest resources.

It is not clear which way the bear went after attacking Shivadasan. The authorities have concluded that the bear has not gone to the forest and there is a possibility that it will come again.