Kashmir Witnesses Spike In Wild Animal Attacks During Harvesting Season

Suhail Ahmad Parray was driving for his job when he got a call that his son had been attacked by wild animals on September 29 near their home at Kashwa in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. In his worry for his child, the 30-year-old driver abandoned his vehicle on the road in Anantnag. 

When Parray reached home, he saw his child bruised and battered. The seven-year-old had been attacked by a wild animal while playing with his friends. The elders of his house had not been watching the kids as they were working in the family orchard.

Parray’s son, Rehan, had to get multiple stitches in his head. The attack on him was the third such incident in the village in a span of a few months.

“It was a very terrible sight. My son’s condition has not improved much after he was attacked by wild animals. I couldn’t attend to my work for the last fifteen days as I had to take care of my child, by taking him to the doctors and remaining with him at home,” says Parrey, a professional truck driver. 

Rehan, Parrey’s son, has been unable to attend school since the injuries. The incident has left his family and villagers shell-shocked.

Shrinking animal habitats 

Kashwa's incident is one example of a sharp overall increase in man-animal conflict in Kashmir. Experts point to shrinking animal habitats and increased animal presence in residential areas, especially black bear attacks during fruit harvest and leopards appearing in winter far from forests.

The Kashwa incident, which occurred away from homes but affected a 200-household village, has terrified the locals. Parvez Ahmad Parray says Wildlife authorities visited, but haven't captured the animal.

“The incident happened in the area near the orchard land, which is some two kilometres from the main village.  There is a family that lives close to the incident site, which is extremely scared. After the attack on the child, they have come across the movement of the wildlife animal almost on a daily basis, which has, however, not been captured,” says Parvez.

Man-animal conflicts have disrupted lives, with 32 deaths and 269 injuries over two years. Studies show that attacks peak in autumn for bears and winter for leopards, mostly near fields or habitations, and during daylight hours.

Increase in Animal Attacks Due to Harvest?

Officials say that man-animal conflicts have risen with the harvest, urging proper fruit disposal to prevent attracting wildlife.

Wildlife attacks affect Central, South, and North Kashmir. Shopian, Tral, and Khrew see more incidents, along with Baramulla, Kupwara, and Handwara in the north.

Fighting off threats or reaching out to affected areas, however, remains a challenge for the Wildlife Department, as it lacks adequate staff. The department remains short of at least 200 officials, including wildlife guards and monitoring staff, and also lacks adequate cages to deal with emergencies.

Increase in Wildlife Numbers

However, Regional Wildlife Warden Kashmir, Tawheed Ahmad Deva, says that incidents of attacks by wild animals cannot be attributed solely to disturbance in the natural habitat of the animals, but also to the increase in their numbers. Admitting that the Wildlife Department faces a shortage of staff, Deva says that they also rely on NGOs when wildlife animals are spotted. “ We also engage the local people during the emergencies to provide an effective response in the event of attacks.”

Among the primary reasons behind the rise in attacks are the reduction in forest cover and the increase in the number of stray dogs resulting from improper disposal of household waste.

“We have seen that generally, bear attacks are more common in the fruit harvesting season. It is important that the fruit that falls from the trees is properly disposed of so that wild animals are not attracted. Additionally, household food waste must be properly disposed of to prevent future attacks. There is a need for proper disposal of fruit, and people must follow the advisories by the Wildlife department,” said Mohammad Maqbool Baba, Wildlife expert and former Wildlife Warden.

Increased Vigilance Among Locals

In the wake of the surge in attacks, authorities have also issued advisories asking people not to leave their children alone at pre-dawn and post-dusk hours and to move in groups in the areas where wild animals are sighted.

Shakir Yusuf of Chitragam says that recent wildlife sightings have left children and adults afraid to go out in the evenings.

Social activist Raja Muzafar Bhat notes that wildlife sightings now occur near Srinagar airport in Budgam, an area previously untouched. He attributes this to construction in forested zones.