A 50-year-old farmer from Kazur, Sanguem, is battling injuries and financial hardship after being attacked by a wild bear while preparing for Ganesh Chaturthi.
The victim, Ramdas Velip, was collecting betel nuts from his farm for the festival’s matoli decoration when a bear, accompanied by its cub, suddenly mauled him. He suffered severe injuries to his head, hands, and legs and was admitted to Goa Medical College (GMC) for seven days. Though discharged, he remains in an injured state.
Ramdas, the sole breadwinner of a six-member family, has been unable to work since the incident. His dependents include his elderly mother, wife, and four children—three of whom are school-going, while the youngest is an infant. Earlier, he survived on daily wage work (govandi), but the loss of income coupled with mounting medical expenses has pushed the family into crisis.
The situation is worsened by the need for daily wound dressings, requiring a 30 km journey to the hospital. With no government support so far, villagers have been pooling resources to cover transport and treatment costs.
Although forest officials visited Ramdas during his hospital stay, he says no assistance has been offered since his return home. He expressed frustration, pointing out that repeated complaints about wild animal attacks and crop destruction in the region have been ignored. Farmers have long requested protective fencing around farmland, but no action has been taken.
The risks of unsafe self-protection measures were highlighted recently in Sivsorem, where two brothers died of electrocution after attempting to use live-wire fencing against wild animals.
Appealing for urgent intervention, Ramdas has requested the Forest Department and the Goa Government to provide financial assistance or a suitable job that would help sustain his family in his current condition.