The Telegraph

Kalimpong, July 23: A bear attacked a woman and her son in their cardamom field near Lava today, scratching and biting the duo.

The two of them were later admitted to the Kalimpong subdivisional hospital, about 35km from Lava.

Ganga Sherpa, the mother, said the incident took place around 2pm when they were clearing weeds from the field, a 20 minute’s walk from their residence in the Goshkhan line area of Lava.<!–more–>

“My son Akash was working in front of me when the bear, which must have been lurking near our field, pounced on him. I immediately went after the bear with my sickle, which prompted it to turn its attention on me,” Ganga told The Telegraph from her hospital bed.

When Akash saw his mother was in danger, he attacked the animal with his bare hands since the khukuri he was carrying had slipped off his hand when he was fending off the bear. “Luckily, we were on the edge of a small slope, and I somehow managed to kick the bear over and escape with my mother,” said Akash.

The mother was bitten on her right hand and had deep scratch wounds on her left cheek. The boy was bitten on his right leg and had scratches on his back. Doctors said both of them were out of danger.

Attempts to contact senior forest officials of the Wildlife Division II proved futile. But sources said since the mother and son were attacked in a field and not while trespassing in a protected area, the forest department would bear their medical expenses .