Bear attack pattern and behavior in the Himalayan region: A study from a tertiary care center

Abstract

Background: Reports of injuries caused by bear attacks are scarce in the Himalayan region of India, such as Uttarakhand, which is surrounded by hills and thick forests. We retrospectively studied 18 patients attacked by Himalayan black and sloth bears to understand the pattern of the attacks and their management.

Materials and methods: Patients attacked by bears between January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively studied.

Results: Most of the patients were of low socioeconomic status. The incidence was highest between June and December. The attacks mostly caused soft tissue injuries. There were also fractures of facial bones noted in some cases, but there was no mortality. The best outcomes were found in those cases that were managed with generous tissue preservation, rather than aggressive debridement. We could also follow the bear attack pattern. Himalayan black bears and sloth bears were found to be involved in the attacks.

Conclusion: Injuries due to bear attacks mainly affect the face and neck. Although there were no cases of mortality in this study, facial disfigurement had a long-lasting impact on survivors. Tissue preservation and early reconstruction had the best outcomes.

Keywords: Bear attack; Facial injuries; Facial reconstruction; Maxillofacial injury.