Baripada (Odisha), February 18 In a remarkable display of courage, a 41-year-old tribal woman saved her husband from death by fighting off a wild bear in a dense forest in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Tuesday at the Hatisalabeda forest near the Milu village under the Karanjia range, when a tribal couple, Malde Soren (48) and Lili Soren (41), had gone to the forest to collect leaves.
"When the couple entered the dense forest, they encountered a group of six wild bears, and one of them attacked Malde, brutally attacking him and inflicting serious injuries, including deep scalp wounds," said range officer Prasant Kumar Swain to reporters.
Swain highly praised the woman, who, instead of fleeing, picked up an axe and attacked the animal.
The bear sustained injuries from the axe attack and fled into the jungle, the officer said.
The seriously injured Malde was first taken to the Karanjia government hospital, and later transferred to the Keonjhar District Hospital for better treatment.