A tragic incident unfolded in the Biligiriranganath Tiger Reserve of Chamarajanagar district when a bear fatally mauled a young man collecting honey.
Sidda, 30, son of Rangegowda and a resident of the forest area, had ventured into the reserve to gather honey when the bear attacked him. He sustained severe injuries to his face and legs and died on the spot due to excessive bleeding.
Following the incident, Kollegal MLA A.R. Krishnamurthy visited Sidda’s family to offer condolences. The government has granted ₹5 lakh as immediate compensation to his mother, Bedamma. The MLA handed over the cheque and assured the family that the remaining relief amount would be credited to their bank account soon.
District Guarantee Scheme Implementation Committee Chairman H.V. Chandru, Sub-Divisional Officer Mahesh, Deputy Conservator of Biligiriranganath Tiger Reserve Sripathi, Assistant Conservator of Forests Manjunath, Zonal Forest Officer Vasu, District Scheduled Castes Welfare Officer H.S. Bindya, former Zilla Panchayat Vice President J. Yogesh, and Gram Panchayat member C.D. Mahadev were also present during the visit.
The incident has highlighted the dangers faced by forest-dependent communities in the region, where human-wildlife conflicts remain a serious challenge. Authorities are expected to assess measures to prevent similar tragedies in the reserve.