Srinagar, Oct 6 (IANS) A man was injured in a bear attack in the Tral area of J&K’s Pulwama district on Tuesday, officials said.
The incident was reported from Nagbal village of Tral.
Mushtaq Ahmed was attacked after he stepped out of his house in the morning and was subsequently shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Fear has gripped the residents of the area over the increasing animal-humankind conflict as the movement of wild animals has recorded a steep rise in recent years. Villagers said the presence of wild animals in and around different villages has become a growing concern, particularly for people venturing out during the early morning hours.
They urged the Wildlife Department to intensify surveillance in vulnerable areas and take necessary measures to capture and relocate animals posing a threat to human settlements.
Wildlife Protection Department officials said that a team was dispatched to the area shortly after receiving the information about the incident and the presence of wild animals. They sought cooperation from the public and advised them to stay safe and not go outside unnecessarily.
Human-wildlife conflict is a major environmental and public safety concern in Jammu and Kashmir driven by shrinking forest habitats, expanding human settlements, and changing land use.
Between 2023 and 2025, J&K recorded over 15,661 human-animal conflict cases, resulting in 32 deaths and more than 350 injuries. Over a broader five-year span (2020–2025), official data notes more than 17,200 incidents claiming over 100 lives and injuring nearly 1,100 people.
Asiatic black bears, Himalayan brown bears, and common/Indian leopards are the primary species involved in these encounters.
North Kashmir (Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora) and hill districts like Doda, Kishtwar, and Anantnag face high fatalities, while Jammu district records a high number of overall incidents.
Deforestation, road construction, and urban expansion fragment wildlife corridors and push animals toward villages and orchards.
A high population of stray dogs near human habitations attracts leopards into residential zones.
Bears often approach orchards and residential areas in autumn to feed before winter hibernation, while open or improper waste disposal attracts predators.
J&K government has set up 42 wildlife control rooms across the Union Territory equipped with tranquillising guns, rescue vehicles, cages, and capture nets.
Authorities have rolled out specialised wildlife rescue vehicles to improve mobility in high-risk zones.
–IANS
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