Gastronomes? Sloth Bear's Change of Character and Habits

 Sloth bears return for human grub - the authors narrate instances of such interactions.

- A. M. K. BHAROS, AKHILESH BHAROS, DEEPENDRA DIWAN AND NITIN TAMBOLI

Our first physical acquaintance with a sloth bear was as school boys, diverted by a dancing sloth bear in the weekly market. This underfed and mangy-looking bear was not only a source of entertainment but its antics provided bread and butter to its poor owner/madari. The overall condition of the animal failed to impress us. Subsequently, numerous sighting of the sloth bears in the wild apprised us about its character, and the stories once heard, were found to be more or less correct. After having seen it in the wild, the impression of the bear was of a very different kind and having heard about instances of attacks on human beings while in the field led us to form an altogether different image. It was in 1995, during the tour to Baghbahara in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh, that we first learnt about a bear which visited a temple regularly in the evenings in quest of the prasad offered by the visitors. Due to paucity of time, the site could not be visited but a year later, we were determined not to miss it. The site was located 5 km. south of Baghbahara town on a hillock and the small temple was surrounded by a degraded forest. Luckily, one of the trustees of the temple, who incidentally met us and showed us the way, narrated the happenings at the temple. The stories related the visit of a sloth bear and the villagers' reverence surrounding it. However, the bear did not turn