“When a bear family attacked us”

Phen Sanctuary — a lesser-known but beautiful part of Kanha — is a serene forest haven filled with dense sal trees. While the tiger population there is currently low, it’s rich in sloth bears, leopards, barasingha, deer, and a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.

This incident happened during the winter of 2016. My elder brother, Mohan Bhaiya, gave me a call and said, “MJ, are you up for a trip to Phen tomorrow?” Now, Mohan Bhaiya is a treasure trove of knowledge — I’ve learned so much from him about the jungle and nature, so how could I ever say no to going with him?

The next morning, it was the two of us, our friend Jenny from the UK, and Dharam, a staff member from Flame of the Forest Resort — the four of us set out for Phen, which is about 100 kilometers from Kanha. As soon as we reached, we were mesmerized by the untouched beauty of the place. After exploring the forest for a while, we stopped for lunch at a small camp set right in the heart of the jungle — “Saja Lagaan” camp.

We saw many animals, and even came across fresh tiger pugmarks. On our way back, I casually remarked, “There are supposed to be quite a few leopards and sloth bears here, but we didn’t get to see any. Someday, we should come back and stay inside the park at night — they actually allow that here in Phen.”

We were still talking and walking towards the gate, when suddenly we heard loud, aggressive growls. I looked to my right — and to my shock, a female sloth bear with her two cubs were charging straight at us!

Dharam was sitting to my right — he immediately began screaming at the top of his lungs, “Sir, help! We’re going to die today!!”

But Mohan Bhaiya — calm and composed — relied on his experience. He stayed completely still and silent. The bears came very close… but then, stopped. After a tense moment, they slowly turned and walked away.

The moment they left, we all turned to look at Dharam — his face was frozen in terror. And then, we all burst into laughter. Teasing him, we said, “Honestly, you scared us more than the bear did!”

Well, those of us who live and work in the

forest often go through experiences like these — and they help us understand animal behavior in a deeper way. Even today, whenever I visit Flame of the Forest Resort and meet Dharam, we can’t help but laugh as we relive that unforgettable moment.

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95Naresh Kumar, Karthik Gopal and 93 others