Panic as bear visits fast food joint with cubs in Chinavaka of Srikakulam district

SRIKAKULAM: A fast food joint near Chinavaka village in Vajrapukotturu mandal received an unexpected visit from a shaggy-coated family of three, which made other patrons flee in fear on Monday. 
A few people were enjoying their meals when a sloth bear, with her two cubs in tow, sauntered into the eatery in Uddanam area. Seeing the carniforms, the people scrambled to safety and informed the forest officials. 

The presence of the bears triggered panic, and village elders prohibited people from going anywhere near the eatery. The bears, meanwhile, spent a couple of hours in the food joint, oblivious of the mayhem they had created, before returning to the nearby forest. Uddanam, especially Vajrapukotturu, has been reporting frequent incursions by bears over the past few months. 

Forest Range Officer (Palasa) A Muralikrishna Naidu said a team of officials from his department was rushed to Chinavaka after receiving information of bears straying into the human habitation. The officer said bears were venturing into villages due to scarcity of food in their habitations. Ruling out that the bear could be a man-eater, Naidu cautioned that it could attack in self-defence if threatened.

Injured man dies 
A 45-year-old man, who was injured when a bear attacked him on June 20 near Kidisingi village in Vajrapukotturu mandal, died on Sunday night.  

Tiger hunts another cow, goes back to V’nagaram 
An elusive Bengal tiger that has been on the prowl in north Andhra, on Monday attacked three cattle at Elluppi in Nallagonda forest of Anakapalle district. District forest officer Anant Shankar told TNIE that the big cat killed one cow and injured two other cattle at Aarli. The tiger came close to the cage set up on Sunday night, but avoided capture. The tiger has now again entered Vizianagram district.