Palanpur: Panic gripped Hasanpur-Kharodpur village, around 14km from Palanpur, early Tuesday after a five-year-old sloth bear went on an aggressive rampage, attacking at least five people and repeatedly returning to the village despite attempts by forest officials to tranquilise it.The bear first entered a residential area in the early morning and attacked an elderly woman who was sleeping near her house, leaving her with serious head injuries. Two people who rushed to her rescue were also attacked.The animal then fled into a nearby farm, where some villagers were washing their cattle. It attacked them too. “I was washing my cattle when the bear suddenly came close and bit my hand,” said Sanjay, one of the injured, who was admitted to hospital.Mahesh Solanki, range forest officer, Palanpur, said the bear was “extremely aggressive”. Forest officials, including the assistant conservator of forests and veterinary doctors, along with police personnel, reached the village after the attacks were reported.The bear hid in bushes near a farm after a crowd gathered in the area. About 45 minutes later, it emerged and attacked another man, injuring him on the head.Forest officials fired two tranquiliser darts at the animal, but both missed as the bear continued to behave aggressively. It subsequently moved towards the forest but returned to the village about 15 minutes later, triggering fresh panic among residents, before disappearing again into the forest.Officials said sloth bears from the forest areas around Balaram often venture close to revenue areas in search of water. The Balaram area has an estimated 145 sloth bears.Forest officials have placed cages at strategic locations and advised villagers not to venture out unnecessarily until the animal is captured. Teams are maintaining a constant watch on its movements.Officials also pointed to a shortage of staff and vehicles, which makes it difficult to respond swiftly to such wildlife emergencies.Two months ago, another sloth bear had entered nearby Jagana village and was subsequently captured by forest officials.
