23.11.08

Somewhere in Conoor....


A story of undying love....
In a poignant spectacle, a four-month-old bear cub died of shock soon after her sick mother breathed her last on Friday night, near Coonoor. Unable to bear the agony of the mother bear, which writhed in pain in her dying hours, the cub too curled up nearby. The 10-year-old mother and the cub lay dead, side by side at Yedapalli near here. Tea estate workers, touched by the twin tragedy, immediately informed the forest department. Initially, the officials suspected foul play. But a postmortem examination in the presence of wildlife activists, revealed an amazing yet moving tale. Forest veterinary doctor N Kalaivanan, who conducted the post-mortem, said the mother bear had suffered internal bleeding due to infections in her lungs and intestines. On the land, where the adult bear and the cub were found dead, there were tell-tale marks of the mammal having writhed and rolled in severe pain. However, this is not the first time that the Nilgiris forest personnel have chanced upon a cub giving a bear hug to their mothers in death too. The veterinarian says he has come across a few such cases in the past. According to him, bears are close-knit and the mother show great love towards their cubs, which are emotionally dependent. So, when the mother dies, cubs find it difficult to survive.

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