Bear Terror in Pauri’s Nainidanda: Woman Critically Injured in Dhangalgaon, Forest Dept Accused of Apathy

SUNIL NEGI
Pauri Garhwal / Dhumakot, Sept 30, 2026 – A painful man-animal conflict incident has been reported from Gram Sabha Dhangalgaon, Village Dhangalgaon, Block Nainidanda, Pauri Garhwal, where a wild bear brutally mauled a woman.

The victim has been identified as Mrs. Manju Devi, wife of Mr. Hoshiyar Singh. She was critically injured in the attack.

According to villagers, the information was immediately given to the Forest Department staff, but no employee reached the spot, which clearly shows administrative apathy towards the public. Villagers allege that for the past several days, forest personnel were being continuously informed that ferocious wild animals are being sighted in large numbers in the Gram Sabha, but every request was ignored by the Forest Department. Today Mrs. Manju Devi had to bear the consequences.

After informing the Health Department and Dhumakot Police Station, Mrs. Manju Devi was referred to Ramnagar via 108 ambulance. Her condition is said to be serious.

Villagers have demanded that to prevent recurrence, the administration should take immediate necessary steps, along with proper medical facility for the injured and financial assistance to the family.

We pray for the speedy and complete recovery of Mrs. Manju Devi.

Rising Bear and Leopard Attacks – A Statewide Crisis

The Dhangalgaon incident is not isolated. Uttarakhand is witnessing an unprecedented surge in bear and leopard attacks, especially in the middle Himalayas.

Official forest data shows:

– Between July 2025 and Jan 2026 alone, 85 wild animals including 62 leopards and 23 bears strayed into human settlements.The department could cage 34 leopards, but not a single bear could be trapped. In that 45-day period between Jan 1 and Feb 12, 2026, these animals killed 13 people.

– Bear attacks have increased phenomenally. In Pauri district alone, from Jan 20 to Nov 2025, 12 people were injured and 1 killed in bear attacks, apart from 53 cattle killed/injured. Bears are now a problem in 17 of the state’s 38 forest divisions. In the last 5 years, 438 people have been injured by bears, and bears have claimed 70 lives in the last decade.

-In the last 10 days itself:

– Sept 22, Pithoragarh (Dadal village): 52-year-old Champa Devi attacked by a female bear with two cubs while cutting grass 100 meters from her house. She fought back with a sickle.
– Sept 21, Nainidanda Block (Bunga village, Pauri): A man grievously injured by a wild bear – same block as today’s incident.
– Sept 4, Chamoli (Sideli Tok, Pokhari): One woman died, another seriously injured in bear attack. Vimla Devi, 56, and Laxmi Devi were collecting fodder when a bear attacked. While fleeing, they fell hundreds of feet down a hillside. Vimla Devi died.

– Leopard maneater terror in Pauri:

– Feb 2026, Bara, Pauri: Forest Dept shot dead a leopard that killed a Nepali labourer. In Dobhal Dhandri, another leopard shot dead after killing a man and injuring a woman.
– Nov 2025, Bagdi, Pokhra Block: 65-year-old Rani Devi killed while cutting grass.
– April 23, 2026, Bamthi village, Pauri: 65-year-old Sita Devi killed while collecting fodder, dragged into forest. Villagers refused to allow removal of body until shoot-at-sight orders. The man-eater was shot dead on May 8 after two weeks of operation.
– June 9, 2026, Badi village, Kot Block: 55-year-old Prabha Devi killed while collecting fodder.
– 2025: Bears killed 8 people and injured 107 people in Uttarakhand. Leopards killed 18 and injured 105.

Forest Dept estimates Uttarakhand has around 3,200 bears, 2,276 to 3,115 leopards, 560 tigers and 2,026 elephants.

Fatalities touched a high of 84 in 2024, followed by 68 deaths in 2025, and even in first six months of 2026, 36 human deaths have been recorded, averaging six deaths per month.

In July 2026, the forest department was forced to authorize shooting of three bears and 13 leopards identified as habitual attackers after tranquilizing attempts failed.

The government has increased compensation to Rs 10 lakh for death and Rs 3 lakh for complete disability and says it will bear the entire treatment cost, but villagers in Nainidanda say on the ground negligible relief has reached them.

Fatalities touched a high of 84 in 2024, followed by 68 deaths in 2025, and even in first six months of 2026, 36 human deaths have been recorded, averaging six deaths per month.

In July 2026, the forest department was forced to authorize shooting of three bears and 13 leopards identified as habitual attackers after tranquilizing attempts failed.

The government has increased compensation to Rs 10 lakh for death and Rs 3 lakh for complete disability and says it will bear the entire treatment cost, but villagers in Nainidanda say on the ground negligible relief has reached them.