Himalayan black bear spotted at Senchal temple

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EOI, DARJEELING, NOVEMBER 24, 2021: In yet another incident of wild animal sighting, on Tuesday night an adult Himalayan black bear was spotted loitering inside the Senchal Devi Mandir at Tiger Hill. 

A video grab from the CCTV installed inside the temple premise showed the bear moving about and even climbing on top of the idols, ostensibly in search of food. The incident occurred at around 11 o’ clock at night, when there was no devotee and the staff and priests of the temple had left for their homes. 

The Wildlife Division has swung into action to ensure the bear moved away towards the nearby forest. 

"The Senchal temple is located inside the wildlife sanctuary and as such sighting of bears and other wild animals is normal. We are however keeping a watch to ensure people are not hurt by the bear," said Divisional Forest Officer S. Sherpa. 

Earlier, in October, a black bear was spotted in the Mul Dara area and another trapped at Lebong was later released in the wild. Recently, in November, a mother Himalayan black bear and her cub were captured loitering inside the Darjeeling Gymkhana premise. Gymkhana is located just 100 metres away from Chowrasta. 

The DFO said easy availability of food in localities and dearth of food in their natural habitats was one of the reasons for the animals venturing into urban areas. "Heavy tourism activities, unhygienic disposal of food are some the factors. The animal is attracted towards good and easily available food. For that matter, Senchal temple in Tiger Hill is a popular tourist spot," Sherpa said. 

The official said bears normally went into hibernation in winter before mating and often left their natural habitats. "From November, black bears go into hibernation. They mate before that. 

They often come down from their dwelling areas that are located at great heights," Sherpa said. The Himalayan black bears are found above 8000 feet and come down to 4500-5000 feet before they hibernate. 

Darjeeling is located at around 6700 feet. Sherpa expressed apprehensions of a possible man-animal conflict with the growing black bear population in the hilly region and unhygienic disposal of waste products. 

"In the last census in 2012, we had around seven to 15 bears in the wild. This number we now feel has increased. In the coming years, we could see a possible conflict. People need to be aware and ensure they dispose garbage and waste properly," the DFO said.