Bear attacks District Collector, CM orders inquiry

Bhubaneswar, June 26 (UNI) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today asked the Chief Wildlife Warden(CWW) to conduct an inquiry into the incident in which a pet bear in a Ashram attacked Nuapada District Collector yesterday.

The Chief Minister directed the CWW to rush to the spot, conduct a probe and submit the report within a week.

Police said Nuapada District Collector Pramod Chandra Pattnaik had visited the Gurukul Ashram located at Amasena village near Khariar Road along with his family members.

The District Collector wanted to have a photograph with the pet bear kept in a cage and accordingly the Ashram authority opened the cage.

However, the bear suddenly attacked the District Collector when he tried to take photographs. His personal security officer(PSO) opened fire at the animal and saved the district collector, who was rushed to a local hospital and then shifted to another hospital in Vijayanagarm in critical condition.

Police said the pet bear escaped from the Ashram after being shot at by the PSO but the inmates of the Ashram later managed to locate the animal this morning and kept the bear in the cage.

Wildlife officials said the bear being classified as scheduled I animal, no one was allowed to play or take photographs with the animal. One can not also tease the animal as it would be treated as an offence under the Wildlife Protection Act.

UNI DP SP DB2156