Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 4 Oct 17;
A bear attacked and killed a villager in Teluk Paman, Riau province, on Tuesday.
Local authorities in Teluk Paman said the bear attacked a couple, identified as Sarudi, 67, and his wife Buni, 47, who later died from the attack.
"The attack happened at around 10 a.m." Teluk Paman village head Rino Chandra said on Tuesday.
Rino said the couple had been collecting rubber tree sap on their land when the bear attacked them on Tuesday morning.
Sarudi sustained severe wounds to his head while protecting his wife from the bear. His wife Buni died on the spot.
Teluk Paman is located 80 kilometers from Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province.
Responding to the attack, the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has deployed a team to track down the bear.
"A team has been deployed to the location. They are equipped with a cage and anesthetic," BKSDA official Eduwar Hutapea said.
Sun bear, also known as the honey bear, can be found in forests across Southeast Asia.
Hunt continues as bear attack victim improving
Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 5 Oct 17;
Saruli, a 60-year-old rubber farmer from Riau's Teluk Paman village who sustained serious injuries in a recent bear attack, is now in a stable condition as authorities continue to hunt down the bear to prevent a similar incident from recurring.
After six hours in the operating room at Arifin Achmad Regional General Hospital in Pekanbaru on Wednesday evening, Saruli's condition is improving.
“The patient is able to talk, but is still undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit," hospital director Nuzeli Husnedi said on Thursday.
Saruli, who sustained serious injuries throughout his body, particularly on the head, as well as a jaw fracture, was handled by a team of neurosurgeons, vascular and plastic surgeons.
His wife, 55-year-old Bunai, died from a fractured skull in the incident that occurred on Tuesday while the couple were tapping rubber on a plantation only around 500 meters from their house in Kampar Kiri district, Kampar regency.
A joint team of the Riau Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA), local police and the local administration continued on Thursday to search for the bear.
The efforts were to no avail, apart from finding bear tracks and claw marks. Authorities remain clueless of the bear species.
"Judging from the traces, it seems to be an adult bear," said Mulyo Utomo of the BKSDA.
Local residents have been instructed to temporarily halt activities on plantations following the first known attack of a bear in the area, which was suspected to be due to food depletion and habitat loss. (ipa)
Villagers kill bear inside settlement in Jambi
Jon Afrizal The Jakarta Post 12 Oct 17;
A sun bear was killed in a village in Kerinci regency, Jambi, on Wednesday after residents panicked upon seeing a wild animal in their settlement.
The sun bear died from a wound to the abdomen caused by a villager throwing a spear at it in Tebing Tinggi village.
"The bear entered a house," Kerinci Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dwi Mulyanto said on Thursday. "One of the villagers was carrying a spear and hit the bear."
It is believed the bear wandered into the village as a result of food depletion and habitat loss.
The body of the bear was immediately taken to the Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) Agency.
In neighboring Riau province, a bear attacked a couple while they were tapping rubber on a plantation about 500 meters from their house in Teluk Paman village, Kampar regency, last Tuesday.
Saruli, a 60-year-old rubber farmer, survived but was left with serious injuries, while his wife, 55-year-old Bunai, died from a fractured skull in the incident, which has also been linked to a shrinking habitat. (ipa)
