Sloth Bear Attacks Motorist in Yelagiri; Forest Department Issues Advisory

fast Summary

• The Tirupattur division of the Forest Department issued an advisory urging residents in 21 tribal habitations in Yelagiri Hills to stay indoors at night to avoid wild animal encounters.
• The advisory follows a sloth bear attack on S.Krishnamurthy, a 50-year-old coconut trader from Jolarpet town. He was injured on his left shoulder and is receiving treatment at Government Taluk Hospital in Tirupattur town.
• The incident occurred when Krishnamurthy lost control of his two-wheeler upon hitting the bear near the 12th hairpin bend on Yelagiri Main Road, which connects around 15,000 tribals in the hills to towns in the plains.
• Forest officials noted that a case was registered and confirmed that Jolarpet Reserve Forest (RF), covering 3,500 hectares alongside Mangalam RF, hosts wildlife such as spotted deer, sloth bears (over 50), peacocks, and snakes.
• Previous incidents involve cattle-rearing tribals being attacked by sloth bears within Jolarpet RF six months ago. Residents were advised not to let children play outside near forest fringes during nighttime.

indian Opinion Analysis
The advisory issued by the Tirupattur Forest Department reflects escalating wildlife-human interactions due to habitation proximity to rich biodiversity zones like Jolarpet Reserve Forests (RF). Tribal communities in Yelagiri Hills face unique challenges balancing daily needs with safety concerns posed by thriving local fauna such as sloth bears. While previous attacks have been reported officially-including fatal ones involving livestock-the latest incident brings attention back to infrastructural aspects: widened roads increasing motorist accessibility without necessarily mitigating risks from unexpected animal encounters.

Human-wildlife conflict management requires immediate action through environmental education for local villagers combined with stricter conservation protocols-possibly including safe fencing zones or innovations linked optimizing secured co-living solutions enabling livelihood compatibility