JEYPORE: A sleuth of six bears is giving sleepless nights to villagers of Lodijodi under Borrigumma block here for the last four days. With sundown, the bears are venturing into the village and roaming in the streets in the night only to return to the nearby forest before dawn.
As a result, the panic-stricken villagers are forced to remain indoors after dusk. However, there have been no reports of bear attack in the village. The forest near Lodijodi village is home to a large number of bears. The animals rarely stray into human settlements in search of food. There have been a very few incidents where the bears were seen in farmland feasting on sugarcane and maize crops.
Sources said some people engaged in manufacturing country liquor in the area are dumping mohua and jaggery residue in the open, thereby attracting bears to the village. Forest officials have deployed a special team in the village which is monitoring movement of the bears every day.
Jeypore divisional forest officer (DFO) NSJP Sing said the department is keeping a close watch on the animals. “We are watching their movement and our priority is to ensure safe passage of the animals and safety of villagers,” the DFO added.
Significantly, a sizable population of bears is found in Borrigumma, Kotpad, Kundra, Boipariguda and Jeypore forest ranges. The animals usually stray into human settlements from February to June, which is the harvesting season.