3 black bears captured alive, released safely in Anantnag

Anantnag, Dec 22: Wildlife officials in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday captured three black bears alive following repeated sightings of the animals near human settlements, averting a potential human–wildlife conflict.

An official said the Wildlife Control Room at Achabal, under the Brengi Valley range, installed a cage in the Shangus–Nowgam area after receiving reports of frequent black bear movement in the vicinity. The operation led to the safe capture of a mother bear along with two semi-adult bears.

“Following standard operating procedures, all three animals were later released safely into their natural habitat,” the official said, adding that the timely intervention prevented any untoward incident in the area.

Incidents of black bears straying into residential areas have increased across Kashmir over the past few months. As reported earlier by Greater Kashmir, factors such as habitat degradation, shrinking forest cover and easy access to food waste near villages have pushed bears closer to orchards and human habitations, prompting the wildlife department to step up monitoring and rescue efforts.