When the residents of Vadhuk village were in the forest, they were attacked by a Himalayan black bear (Representative Image).
© iStock ImagesWhen the residents of Vadhuk village were in the forest, they were attacked by a Himalayan black bear (Representative Image).
When the residents of Vadhuk village were in the forest, they were attacked by a Himalayan black bear. The woman's husband climbed a tree and saved himself from the bear attack. Meanwhile, the woman was mauled to death by the bear.

Ashutosh Singh, divisional forest officer (DFO) Badrinath told Hindustan Times that compensation would be granted to the woman's family after the formalities are completed.

According to the forest official, the woman died on the spot. Singh added, "With the onset of winters, bear attacks increase as bears come down from snowy higher reaches in search of food. This is one of the main causes of the surge in man-bear conflict here in winter months."

Listed as a vulnerable species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the Himalayan black bear is found near the Himalayan meadows at an altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. During the winters, the bears come down to 5,000 to 6,000 feet in search of food.