Arun Kukse, the 65-year-old man who was attacked by a sloth bear at Junona on Saturday evening, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nagpur on Monday.
The bear, who suffered severe injuries after villagers attacked it with stone and sticks, also died late Sunday night at the Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) in Chandrapur. Kukse's son Vijay, who too was mauled by the animal while trying to save his father, remains in a critical condition at Chandrapur GMCH, officials said.
The attack occurred on the forested outskirts of Junona under jurisdiction of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra. Villagers tried to rescue the father-son duo by attacking the bear with stones and sticks, causing grave injuries to the animal.
Forest officials, accompanied by a veterinary officer and NGO activists, later tranquilised the bear and shifted it to the TTC, but the animal did not survive beyond 24 hours.
Villagers have appealed to authorities to implement stringent safety measures, including proactive patrolling and quicker response systems, to prevent any such incidents in future.
