Honey gatherer injured after attack by honey bear

A honey-gatherer was injured in his left calf after he was attacked by a honey bear while searching for honey in a forest area near Kampung Batang Merbau here, Monday.

Che Hassan Yaacob, 56, said in the incident at 1.30 pm Monday, he had gone to the forest alone.

"After almost 10 minutes in the forest, a black bear suddenly appeared in front of me and began to chase me.

"I tried to save myself by climbing up a tree but the bear swung its right paw on my left calf," he told reporters at the Tanah Merah Hospital here Tuesday.

The father of seven said he then tried to fight the bear off with a parang he had brought with him.

"I jumped off the tree to try to fight the bear off with the parang until it ran away.

"At that time, my feelings were in a turmoil as this was the first time such an incident had happened to me since I have been working as a honey-gatherer for almost 20 years," he said.

He added after the bear ran off, he went to the Batang Merbau police station to lodge a report and to get help.

"I was covered in blood but I rode my motorcycle to the police station which is about two kilometres from where the incident occurred.

"By coincidence, there was an off-duty nurse at the police station as her mother had matters to attend there, she gave me first aid to stop the bleeding," he said.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department director Mohd Khairi Ahmad said his staff had been instructed to set up traps to catch the bear to prevent it from attacking other people.

"I visited the victim at the hospital and have submitted an application for him to the Provident Fund to Help Victims of Attacks by Wild Animals so that he can make a claim," he said.