Brown bear strays into Shopian, rescued safely

Shopian, Nov 6: Wildlife officials on Thursday rescued a brown bear that had wandered into Gatipora village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Experts described the sighting as “unusual”, saying it reflects the growing impact of climate change and habitat disturbance on wildlife in the region.

The animal was first spotted early in the morning by villagers who raised an alarm after it entered a cluster of orchards.

A team from the Wildlife Department rushed to the area and tranquilised the bear safely.

“It will be released back into its natural habitat,” an official of the Wildlife Department said.

The Himalayan brown bear is usually found in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, particularly in regions like Drass, Kargil, and the higher slopes of the Pir Panjal range.

Its appearance in inhabited areas of south Kashmir is being viewed as part of a broader trend of wildlife migration triggered by shrinking natural habitats and climate change.

According to a survey, the population of Himalayan brown bears has been steadily declining over the past century, with only about 500 to 750 individuals now estimated to remain in India.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Wildlife Warden Shopian, Suhail Ahmad Wagay, said the incident was unusual as the species typically inhabits high-altitude scrublands and alpine meadows.

“They usually live in scrubs and meadows at elevations above 18,000 feet, but due to climate change and other abiotic and biotic interferences, they are increasingly moving to lower areas, coming into direct conflict with humans,” Wagay said.

Locals said that they had never seen such an animal in the area before.

“We were terrified when we saw it in the orchard early in the morning,” said Abdul Aziz, a resident.

Officials said the rescued bear was in good health and would be released into a suitable high-altitude habitat soon.