Indian Couple Mauled By Rabid Bear

A sloth bear mauled a couple to death in a forest in central India's Madhya Pradesh state and then spent hours playing with their remains. 

The attack occurred when a man and his wife were returning home from a temple visit early in the morning. The sloth bear first attacked the woman as the couple walked through the Panna National Park forest, killing her. Her husband was killed when he tried to rescue his wife.

The Times of India quoted eyewitnesses from the crowd of villagers who gathered at the spot, saying some tried to scare the bear away by firing gunshots in the air, but it wouldn't budge. The paper said the witnesses saw the bear eating the victims for several hours until forestry workers arrived.

While sloth bear encounters with people are relatively common, fatal attacks are not.  A medical examination confirmed earlier reports that it was rabid, but it was not found to have ingested human remains.

Sloth bears are found in India and other South Asian countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. They are about the size of American black bears and can grow to weigh more than 300 pounds.

Escalating deforestation has been depriving species including bears of their natural habitat and putting them into closer proximity of towns and villages for at least two decades, and incidents of violent human-animal confrontations have been on the rise in India.  "Generally there is conflict during mahua season, when people go to collect flowers and the bears are feeding," Sinha explained to CBS News. The mahua is a tree that grows across many parts of South Asia and flowers in the late spring and early summer. The flowers are prized by both people and sloth bears.

A study published in March showed the highest prevalence of sloth bear attacks across India were in Madhya Pradesh state. The study says they are the most common bear species in the country, and they can "behave aggressively toward humans when threatened and are among the most dangerous wildlife in India."

Regional authorities said the pair's family would be given 400,000 Indian rupees ($5,100) in compensation for their loss.