Bear mauls Kolar farmer's face, right eye

Seeking refuge from sudden rain turned tragic for Krishnappa, a 62-year-old farmer from Gundalupalya, Kolar district, when he was attacked by a bear on Thursday afternoon.

Krishnappa was working on his farm when it began to rain suddenly. He ran to take shelter under a tree, behind which a bear was hiding. Coming in direct contact with the farmer, the startled bear attacked him by mauling his face.

The attack was so severe that Krishnappa’s right side of the face was completely damaged, which also resulted in the loss of his right eye.

He was administered first aid in Kolar after being shifted to Hosmat Hospital in Bengaluru. “The right side of his face has been severely damaged and he has lost his right eyeball socket. All the facial nerves on his right side have been damaged. He has also suffered considerable facial muscle loss,” Dr Thomas Chandy, orthopaedic surgeon and chairman, Hosmat Hospital, said.

Dr Deepu N K, a plastic surgeon at Hosmat Hospital, said: “Krishnappa will need a few major reconstructive surgeries to restore some part of his face. However, he has lost his right side vision. He also suffered fractures on the nose and lost skin on the face.

His left arm has also sustained some injuries. We will perform flap surgery to restore the skin, though the decision is yet to be taken.”

Murali Krishna, Krishnappa’s son, said bear sightings were common in this region as the Masti forest was just 100 metres away. But this is the first case of bear attack, he added.

Krishnappa has undergone two surgeries and will have to undergo two more in the coming week. “His condition is stable at the moment, but there is a chance of infection,”  Dr Deepu said.