Pattern of orthopaedic injuries in bear attacks: report from a tertiary care centre in Kashmir

Interaction between humans and wild animals has increased in recent times, because of overlap of habitats. A proportion of this interaction is violent. Most of the literature describing the injuries sustained by humans in such contact pertains to the involvement of soft tissues. Trauma to bones and joints is only witnessed when larger animals attack humans. We studied the pattern of orthopaedic injuries over a period of 2 years in a series of 32 cases presenting to our hospital with a history of being attacked by the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus). This paper also documents the complications and challenges involved in managing these injuries. We suggest that orthopaedic traumatologists need to be prepared to deal with such cases in areas where interaction between humans and large wild animals is manifest.