Widlife photographer highlights hazards of bear-human contact at temples
| Date :04-Sep-2019 |
Staff Reporter :
“It may be a matter of faith for general public, but the fact is that any contact between predators and humans can be very dangerous ”, a wildlife photographer Satyaprakash Pandey stated while talking about lack of safety arrangements by the Forest Department for the bears coming to the Chandi Devi Temple of Bagbahara and Mungai Mata Temple on Raipur-Saraipali road. During his visits to these temples, Satyaprakash Pandey observed a volatile interaction between the people and bears descending down from the forests to the temple of Mungai Mata located beside the Raipur-Saraipali.
He told ‘The Hitavada’ that although there are many temples known for miracles and spiritual powers, the Mungai Mata Temple at village Bawankera got famous due to visits of these furry creatures. Unfortunately, as harmonious as the interaction between the bears and humans may look, it is still a matter of concern for the Forest Department as in case of any untoward incident, entire accountability rest on them. It was a family of bears with a female, a male bear and three cubs. Unfortunately, a bear cub was killed in road accident two years ago.
The bear family, which lives in a nearby mountain, descends down every evening during the Aarti. So far the bears haven’t harmed any human, but yes they did chase down people sometimes whenever humans crossed limits and did inappropriate actions which are unacceptable to the bears. However, there is no fatal attack on the humans by the bears till date. Temple priest Tikeshwar Das Vaishnav told that bears eat biscuits, coconuts and sweets offered at the temple by devotees. They even relish on the cold drinks. The bears coming to the Mungai Mata as well as the Chandi Devi temples require protection, but Forest Department shows little or no interest in this direction. There is no safety boundary wall around the temple premises even as the people want to feed bears with their hands.
One cannot deny that it could result ugly someday. So it is necessary to maintain caution, Satyaprakash Pandey warned. It’s noteworthy that on the application of a noted wildlife conservationist, erstwhile Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Kaushalendra Singh, in an order dated February 1, 2019, had asked the Chief Conservators of Forest (CCF) Raipur/ Bilaspur/Surguja/Kanker/Jagdalpur to take necessary actions for avoiding any harm to the wild animal and devotees at Chandi Mandir of Gunchapali. But, it’s apparent that even the order of PCCF Wildlife hasn’t been complied with till date. PCCF Wildlife Atul Shukla stated the issue is under his consideration. He will soon find a permanent solution to the matter. Either the department will install railing or get it arranged by donation for the safety of bears as well as the devotees.