Srinagar April 29: The Kashmir Valley has witnessed a surge in man-animal conflict incidents, with authorities attributing them to human population settlements, habitat fragmentation, and the increasing population of dogs.
Over the years, there has been a continual increase in such man-animal conflict incidents, resulting in numerous casualties.
The data reveals an upward trend over the past five years. During 2020-21, there were five human deaths, which escalated to 10 in 2021-22, and further to 14 and 16 in the subsequent two years. Similarly, the number of injuries rose from 87 to 89 to 65 and finally to 181 during these respective four years.
The Department of Wildlife and Protection has issued several advisories in this regard asking people to take preventive measures.
Regional Wildlife Warden Kashmir, Pradeep Chandra Wahule, shared various factors contributing to the rise in human-wildlife conflicts.
“The main reasons include the increase in human population settlements, habitat fragmentation, and the growing population of dogs, which become easy prey for leopards. Additionally, there is a behavioral shift where leopards tend to breed near human settlements,” he stated.
He acknowledged the increasing incidents of man-animal conflict, noting that the department receives distress calls on a daily basis.
“Based on the situation, animals are either captured, tranquilized, or released back into the wild. Unfortunately, some incidents result in injury or death to both humans and animals,” he said.
Dr. Zaffar Rais Mir, a wildlife expert known for his extensive research on human-leopard conflict in the Kashmir Himalayas, emphasizes the correlation between human encroachment on natural habitats and the escalation of human-wildlife conflicts.
He explains that such conflicts frequently stem from habitat fragmentation and degradation, precipitating heightened interactions between humans and wildlife as they compete for limited resources (Food, space, or water).
“Leopards, known for their remarkable adaptability, thrive across a diverse array of human-modified habitats, enabling them to inhabit the peripheries of human settlements and significantly heightening the likelihood of human encounters. When confronted with scarcity of prey within forests, leopards venture nearer to human dwellings to prey upon accessible targets such as livestock or dogs. In doing so, the frequency of human encounters escalates dramatically, consequently amplifying the risk of attacks on humans. Similarly, the situation echoes in Kashmir, where the scarcity of prey in forests remains pronounced,” Dr Zaffar said, who is currently serving as Wildlife Expert at the National Centre for Wildlife in Saudi Arabia.
