A migrant worker was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore after being mauled by a sloth bear in a tea estate near Valparai on Saturday (June 27, 2026). The injured has been identified as Dilwar Ali (38) from Assam.

According to the Forest Department, Ali was working at a private tea estate in Upper Paralai near Valparai. He was among the workers who were assigned to spray fertilizer to tea bushes in field number: 1B of the estate.

Forest Department officials said Ali came to the estate through a shortcut from the workers’ quarters around 7.15 a.m. He sat inside the bushes and watched videos on his mobile phone while waiting for the fertilizer and sprayer to arrive at the spot on a tractor. A sloth bear that came from behind mauled Ali, leaving him injured.

He was rushed to the Government Hospital, Valparai, from where he was referred to Coimbatore. He was admitted to a private hospital in the city, where his condition was stable as on Sunday (June 28, 2026).

Valparai Forest Range Officer Suresh Krishnan said the Department had already instructed managements of estates to avoid sending workers to fields before 8 a.m. to curb encounters with wild animals. He added that estates were told again to ensure the timing to avert such incidents.