Bear injures 2 women in Kashmir

Srinagar, Nov 12 (UNI) Two more women were attacked and injured by a wild bear in the Kashmir valley, where man-animal conflict has claimed more than 80 lives and injured about 350 during the past two years, official sources today said.

A wild bear appeared last evening at village Zargund in Ganderbal district, when a group of women were on their way to home from fields after work.

The bear attacked and injured two women, who were later hospitalised.

The Wildlife Department has put up cages at different places, where the wild animals frequent, to capture them alive.

They were also using honey to attract the animals inside the cages, the officials sources said.

Recently, the man-animal conflict has increased in the Kashmir valley, particularly in Ganderbal, Harwan and south and north Kashmir areas where several people, mostly women and children, were injured in the attacks.

Agitated villagers, in retaliation, had killed about a dozen wild animals.

The Wildlife officials believe that wildlife habitats have largely shrunk as a result of human activities, forcing the animals to infiltrate into villages.

On October 31, two wild animals were killed after they injured four people at Ganderbal and Achabal in south Kashmir district of Anantnag.

The Wildlife authorities had formulated a comprehensive management plan to meet the challenge. The plan includes involving infrastructural strengthening, awareness campaign and better communication.

UNI BAS RSA VC1336