<
https://theconversation.com/what-a-bear-attack-in-a-remote-valley-in-nepal-tells-us-about-the-problem-of-aging-rural-communities-271377>
"Dorje Dundul recently had his foot gnawed by a brown bear – a member of the
species
Ursus thibetanus, to be precise.
It wasn’t his first such encounter. Recounting the first of three such violent
experiences over the past five years, Dorje told our research team: “My wife
came home one evening and reported that a bear had eaten a lot of corn from the
maize field behind our house. So, we decided to shoo it away. While my wife was
setting up camp, I went to see how much the bear had eaten. The bear was just
sitting there; it attacked me.”
Dorje dropped to the ground, but the bear ripped open his shirt and tore at his
shoulder. “I started shouting and the bear ran away. My wife came, thinking I
was messing with her, but when she saw the wounds, she knew what had happened.”
Researchers Dolma Choekyi Lama, Tsering Tinley and I spoke with Dorje – a
71-year-old resident of Nubri, a Buddhist enclave in the Nepalese highlands –
as part of a three-year study of aging and migration.
Now, you may be forgiven for asking what a bear attack on a septuagenarian has
to do with demographic change in Nepal. The answer, however, is everything."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
