Himalayan Black Bear Fatally Mauls Teen; Vengeful Crowd Kills The Animal

A Himalayan black bear has been killed by an angry mob after the animal fatally mauled a 16-year-old boy.

The black bear was spotted at a tea estate in West Bengal, India, around 3 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. EST) Wednesday. Curious residents around the area rushed to see the animal. The 16-year-old victim, identified as Bidesh Khalko, went close to the bear to get a better view of it.

"It was then that the bear attacked him and dragged him behind the tea bushes. The teen died on the spot," a source told The Telegraph.

After the attack, a mob of locals decided to hunt down the bear.

Forest guards working with the Mal Wildlife Squad, Gorumara National Park and Jalpaiguri Forest Division responded to the scene after getting reports on the boy's death. They attempted to rescue the bear by using a tranquilizer on it.

But even before they could safely rescue the bear, the locals beat the animal to death. Police were sent to the scene to control the crowd, reported The Assam Tribune.

According to the locals, bear sighting in the tea gardens around the area is extremely rare.

"We have not seen any bear straying inside the tea garden here. As a result, many out of curiosity went to see the animal," Ratan Minz, tea garden resident, told The Telegraph.

Forest guards believe the animal came from a national park, which is a few miles away from the tea garden. They are now investigating the incident and trying to identify the people responsible for killing the bear.

Rajendra Jakhar, the chief conservator of forest, said they will "take legal action against" the mob.

The teen victim's body was sent for an autopsy to determine the official cause of his death, while the bear's carcass was sent to a lab.

"The incident is rare. We are all familiar with the conflict of humans with elephants and leopards in these areas," Shyama Pandey, a representative from a local wildlife lovers' organization, said. "This is the first time a black bear entered a tea garden and killed a youth."