Jakarta Globe, February 4, 2014
Sun bears at a zoo in Medan, North Sumatra in 2004. (Wikimedia Commons) |
A wild bear
attacked a 52-year-old farmwoman on Monday in Salak Baru, an island in central
Sumatra’s Jambi province.
“It’s true,
a resident of Salak [Baru] island was the victim of a savage animal, and the
victim has been taken to Sarolangun hospital,” Sarolangun Police Chief Adj. Sr.
Cmr. Ridho Hartawan told news portal jambiekspress.co.id. “We will coordinate
with the BKSDA [Natural Resources Conservation Agency] to handle it, as the
animal that attacked the resident is a protected animal, so we need to
coordinate with related institutions.
The victim,
Nursijah, 52, received treatment for severe wounds.
The
state-run Antara news agency reported that Nursijah, a farmer, was fetching
wood underneath her traditional rumah panggung [stilt house] at 8:00 a.m. when
she noticed the bear in a moment of mutual surprise.
The bear
mauled her and tried to bite her head, she said, while she lay on the ground
screaming.
When local
residents came to help, the bear fled into the jungle. Nursijah suffered wounds
on her head and body. Residents took her to a nearby public health center,
whereupon she was transferred to the hospital.
The
attacker was likely a sun bear, which are native to Sumatra. Sun bears eat
mostly fruit and insects and are known for their unslakeable lust for honey.
Although
they are the smallest of bears, they sometimes attack without provocation,
according to the BBC.
Like slow
lorises, orangutans, and other Sumatran mammals, sun bears face habitat loss,
which can lead to human-animal conflict.
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