BURI RAM: People living near a village where a man was recently attacked by a young bear are being warned there is a bigger bear in the area, believed to be its mother.
The village chief of Ban Dong Yai Pattana made a public announcement on Monday, warning people to remain alert because a large bear had been seen on the outskirts of the village in Pa Kham district, in the far south bordering Sa Kaeo province.
The village is near Ban Moo 13, where a man was attacked by a young Asian bear on Sept 6. The year-old female bear was later found dead by a stream last Tuesday. A veterinarian said the animal could have died from cyanogenic glycoside poisoning, from eating lasia spinosa, or phak nam.
Local people believe the bigger bear is the dead youngster's mother, and she was sniffing around the village looking for her.
Dong Yai Pattana resident Yutthana Thienchan said on Monday he and his friends were also afraid of wild elephants that come out of the forest to forage for food at night, not just the bear.
The two villages are located at the edge of Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuay.