Logging supervisor injured in sun bear attack
BANDAR PERMAISURI - A man faced an anxious moment when he was attacked by a sun bear in Kampung Tok Dor, Ajil, near Hulu Terengganu, last Wednesday (Feb 1).
Mohd Syukri Zakaria, 39, who works as a logging supervisor said that in the 8 am incident, he and his friend were about to start fixing a broken water pipe before hearing a strange noise.
He said a few minutes later he saw a sun bear come out of a nearby bush, ran towards him, and charged at him, knocking him to the ground.
"My friend managed to escape but I was unable to do so because the bear had grabbed me. As I hit the ground, the animal slammed its head into my face and bit my left shoulder.
"I couldn’t do anything except chanting the takbir. But the bear suddenly stopped attacking me and ran back into the bush after I chanted the takbir three times. I then walked for 20 minutes to a ‘kongsi’ house near the logging area to get help,” he said when met by reporters at his home in Kampung Pelong, here today.
Mohd Syukri said the mauling which took place for about five minutes had resulted in him being treated for five days at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu where he received seven stitches in his face. He also suffered injuries to his left shoulder.
Mohd Syukri who has been working in the logging area for more than a year also claimed that the same bear had been spotted in the logging area several times previously, but the animal would run away and never attack him.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Loo Kean Seong, when contacted, confirmed receiving a report about the incident on Feb 2.
He said investigations found that prior to the incident, the sun bear was chasing after a dog in the forest area.
"However, while chasing the dog, the sun bear came across the victim (Mohd Syukri) and attacked him,” he said adding that the department would continue to monitor the area to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Loo also advised the public against acting provocatively if they come across wild animals and to contact the nearest Perhilitan office for further action - BERNAMA
