12 Asiatic black bears spotted in north Bengal in two weeks

JALPAIGURI: There have been at least 12 sightings of Asiatic black bears in Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in just 15 days, leaving the forest department baffled. Officials have no clue where the animals are coming from.
Two persons were attacked in Nagrakata area of Jalpaiguri on Sunday. A forest department team rushed to the spot. Also on Sunday, SSB jawans drove at least five bears into the forest at Sibchu in Jalpaiguri close to Kalimpong district.
The presence of two other bears was reported from Soongachhi tea estate in Malbazar and Dhupjhora beside Gorumara National Park. Foresters could not spot the animals but confirmed their presence based on pug marks.
On Saturday, a bear was tranquillized and taken to Neora Valley National Park after it entered Grassmore tea estate in Nagrakata.
On November 20, an Asiatic black bear entered Matelli tea estate, where it was lynched after mauling a garden dweller to death. The same day, a bear and two cubs were captured on CCTV at Tiger Hill in Darjeeling.
“There have been at least 12 sightings of Asiatic Black Bears in just 15 days. Either it symbolizes that the bear population has significantly increased, or there is a habitat loss issue. We believe their number has increased and, hence, they are looking for new habitats,” said Rajendra Jakhar, chief conservator of forests, wildlife, northern circle.
Some conservationists suspect a road project from Oodlabari to Gangtok has impacted the bear population there. “This road passes through the fringes of Neora Valley National Park. There’s a possibility that construction activities for the roadworks are prompting the bears to climb downwards,” said Shyama Prasad Pandey of SPOAR.
State wildlife advisory board member Animesh Bose, however, said: “The road that is being constructed is miles away from the places the bears are being spotted. We can only hope that the population is not into any sort of trouble.”
Jakhar, too, said: “That road is at least 15km away from the places where bears live in Neora. There is very little possibility of the construction work hampering their lives.”
The forest department is planning a bear enumeration exercise at Neora Valley National Park. Such an exercise was earlier conducted in 2012 at Senchel Wildlife Sanctuary near Tiger Hill, where the presence of 8-15 Asiatic black bears was noted.