• WL Dept. officers investigating matter

The Department of Wildlife Conservation yesterday opined that the bear encroachment threats reported by residents of the Sigiriya area are unlikely to be a frequent occurrence.

It was reported that residents of the Ilukwala area in Sigiriya are living in fear of a bear that frequently wanders into their village. According to reports, two villagers had sustained serious injuries in encounters with the bear and were receiving treatment at the Dambulla and Polonnaruwa Hospitals.

When contacted by The Daily Morning to inquire about the issue, the Director General of the Wildlife Department Chandana Sooriyabandara said that the possibility for bear threats to be a regular occurrence was unlikely. "This is not something that is going to happen on a regular basis. I have instructed the relevant officials to look into this issue."

Residents of the area had told the media that for the first time in over 70 years, bears were seen roaming the village during the daytime and causing injuries. Some of them suspect that the bear, which may have been raised at a nearby hotel, is straying into the village.

The Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HKARTI) had recently recommended several steps to be taken to control threats caused by wild animals including establishing a dedicated unit, amending the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance No.2 of 1907, removing animals causing damages to crops from the list of animals to be conserved, and adopting several other moves. However, there have been no persistent reports of bear attacks in the past, nor that of serious crop damage by bears.