Panic in villages as 5 leopards found prowling on Govt school premises
Kashmir’s countryside, of late, is witnessing an alarming surge in man-animal conflict, impacting the lifestyle of people even as authorities are struggling to cope up with the situation.
On November 13, five leopards entered the compound of the Government Primary School at Chewakalan village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The big cats took to their heels when villagers ran whistling towards the school with long sticks. However, the same leap of leopards were briefly spotted in another village near the jungle. The Chief Education Officer in the area ordered to close the school for three days fearing the leap may revisit the school.
Many villagers have stopped going out on morning walks and attending to their fields in the early hours. At several places, villagers have given up cultivation of maize, lest their crops were vandalised by black bears. Recently, at Shariefabad in Tral pocket, a mammoth black bear took shelter in a bathroom built in a house compound. He was shot dead by police when all efforts to neutralise him for safety exhausted.
Worst-hit by armed conflict during the past two decades, North Kashmir’s Kupwara district is now the most affected by the man-animal conflict. Earlier this month, the authorities summoned former professional hunters to gun down a leopard who had turned man-eater. Before the hunters pierced the man-eater’s prized skin
with bullets, it had mauled
four children to death in nearby villages.
Wildlife experts say that population of leopards and black bears have substantially increased during the past 25 years simultaneously with the shrinkage of their natural habitats. “The wild animals have no option but to venture into populated areas,” Dr Khursheed Ahmad, head of wildlife department at Kashmir’s premier Agriculture University, said.
Hunting of wild animals, once a royal sport in Kashmir has been banned since 1970 therefore the population of wild animals shot up since the emergence of armed conflict in early 1990s. The militarisation of the region, human population explosion and shrinkage of wildlife habitat, lack of capacity building and a bevy of other reasons are cited for increasing man-animal conflict.
Wildlife authorities say that around 200 people have been mauled to death by the wild animals in the past 20 years in Kashmir. This year alone, 180 incidents occurred resulting into a dozen deaths and numerous injuries.
During the Autumn Session of the legislative Assembly, legislator Basharat Bukhari sought a special discussion on the menace citing reign of terror in his Sangrama constituency of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
In Sangrama, besides leopards and black bears, wolves too have turned man-eaters. The authorities pressed 20 trained hunters to eliminate wolves in the area who killed three persons in various villages.
Minister for Forests and Wildlife Mian Altaf Ahmad said that effective measures are being taken to reduce the frequency of man-animal conflict.
“We have launched an awareness campaign asking the people to reduce face-off with the wild animals. The wildlife protection department is being equipped with technology and manpower to deal with the issue,” he said.
Worse, the conflict along the line of Control (loC) has adversely affected the wildlife. Experts say that since August, the incidents of man-animal conflict increased in areas closer to the loC where skirmishes took place between infiltrators and security forces.
“The mining of the areas near the loC has proved to be a great threat to wildlife. The fencing of loC with electrified concertina wire further reduced the movement of wild animals. The gun-battles and explosions scare them away and they force their entry into nearby villages,” Dr Ahmad said.
With measures failing to stop the man-animal confrontation, the authorities have moved a proposal to enhance the compensation for the victims of wild animals’ wrath.
The Government is contemplating to pay `3 lakh to the next of kin of those killed by wild animals while `1.5 lakh would be paid to anyone wounded in such attacks. “The enhancement in compensation has become imperative in view of the compensation enhanced for other types of accidents,” Mian Altaf said.