Another villager killed by bear in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 16 (UNI) A villager was killed by a wild bear in another incident of the man-wild animal conflict in Kashmir valley.

Official sources said a bear attacked and critically wounded one Ghulam Hassan Dedood at Bathen Khrew in south Kashmir district of Pulwama.

He was immediately rushed to hospital by the villagers where he died.

The villagers said the wild bears and leopards had spread havoc in the villages adjacent to the forest adding that they were not able to move out of their home because of fear, particularly after sunset and early in the morning.

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

Officials of the Wildlife Warden said the man-wild animal conflict was a serious issue and a proposal had been formulated to deal with it.

The Proposal had been submitted to the Central Government for funding, and the department would be able to tackle the issue after the funds were received, they said.

At least 30 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded in attacks by leopards and bears in the state during the past two years.

In the past ten years, 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 the border district of Kupwara in north Kashmir, while two leopards had been killed by the people since January this year in the valley.

The reasons 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.

UNI