Leopard kill one more in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 14 (UNI) A 14-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a leopard in the frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir, a police spokesman said.

He said a leopard attacked and critically wounded a 14-year-old girl Jabeena at Yamlar in Handwara on her way home.

However, she died before she could be shifted to hospital, he said.

On August 7 a boy Rafakat Ahmad Mir was attacked and injured in the same area.

Official sources said about 30 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded in attacks by leopards and bears in Jammu and Kashmir during the past two years.

During the past ten years in man-animal conflicts more than 150 people have lost their lives and about 1,500 wounded in Jammu and Kashmir.

Recently authorities killed a bear at a village in border district of Kupwara in north Kashmir as the animal had spread havoc in the area while two leopards were also killed by the people since January this year in the valley.

The reason behind the increasing man-animal conflicts in the state were the shrinking habitats of wild animals, spread of human settlements, deforestation and decrease in herbivore population.

Concern over the man-wild animal conflicts which has assumed a serious magnitude in the state, the department of wildlife in the Jammu and Kashmir has approached to the centre for funds to deal with the situation.

Official of the Wildlife Warden said the man-wild animal conflicts was a serious issue and they have formulated a proposal for strengthening the department to deal with it.

The proposal had been submitted to Central Government for funding, he said and expressed the hope that the department would be able to tackle this issue after the funds were received.

UNI