Rudraprayag – Panic spread in Rudraprayag’s Chingwad village area on Tuesday morning after a bear was spotted on the route used by children going to school. The incident occurred in the Latdhar Tok area, forcing students to return home and miss classes due to safety concerns.
According to local residents, children and their parents were heading from Chingwad village to drop students, including Priyanshu and Sachin, at Government Inter College Pida when they noticed a bear sitting on a tree along the road around 8 am. When they tried to scare it away by shouting, the bear started moving towards them.
Fearing an attack, the children and accompanying adults ran back towards their homes and informed other family members. After the incident, no children from the area went to school. Villagers said women regularly escort children in the morning, using loud noise and banging utensils to stay alert while passing through forest stretches.
Meanwhile, in the nearby Pida area, a bear attacked and killed a domestic animal, adding to the fear among residents. A similar incident was reported from Dharoda village in Makku Math area of Ukhimath block, where a bear broke into the cowshed of Laxman Singh Chauhan on Monday night and injured two cattle.
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Deputy Divisional Forest Officer Rudraprayag, Devendra Singh Pundir, said bear-related incidents have increased in the region and forest teams are closely monitoring the situation. He said regular patrolling is underway and Quick Response Teams are reaching affected areas promptly. Villagers have been advised to take extra precautions and use chilli smoke to deter wild animals.
