New Delhi: Indian wildlife conservationists observed increased sightings and spread of the rare grizzly bear or the Himalayan brown bear in the mountainous stretch of Sonmarg-Kargil in the Kashmir valley for the past 2-3 years.
A non-government organisation (NGO) titled The Wildlife SOS surveyed between May and October 2021 to understand the distribution of the brown bear in the Thajiwas Wildlife Sanctuary of Sonmarg. The sanctuary lies 85km from Srinagar and extends till the Zoji La Pass in Ladakh.
According to Senior wildlife warden Intisar Suhail, Brown bears are nearly 200 in number and were spotted in Hirpora, Shopian, and the Pir Panjal heights of Rajouri, Reasi, and Poonch districts. The team set up cameras to track the animal and collect data.
The bears have been reviving in numbers. They were spotted abundantly after almost disappearing from the region 25 years ago. Some of the primary causes for the deterioration of the natural habitat include massive construction activities and increased military and nomad footprint.
Talking about the adverse effects of the bear population, Suhail said, “These anthropogenic activities are not good for this species and are a threat toward its conservation. If a holistic approach is not adopted, the situation will be very different and difficult to handle.”
This habitat deterioration forced the animal to venture into the nomadic lands and feed on their livestock. “There have been frequent sightings of the brown bears in the cropland, market places, hotel premises, security camps, and in and around human habitation,” she said.
The brown bear is the largest animal in Kashmir. An adult bear weighs more than 2.5 quintals. It is found at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 metres and is comfortable above the tree line, though it keeps foraying inside the deep jungles.
“While the black bear is a herbivore, the brown bear is an omnivore. It picks up the livestock of the nomads who move in summer pastures for grazing their cattle and sheep,” she added.
(Avya Mathur)