Nature’s Clock Broken: Climate change keeping Kashmir’s bears awake, hungry

Srinagar, Dec 4: Why aren't Kashmir's bears hibernating anymore?

Snowfall this year is late, and the bears didn’t wait.

From orchards to city lakes, Kashmir is watching its wildest neighbours wander deeper into human habitats than ever before.

Nearly 50 bears were captured in November as delayed snowfall, open garbage, and easy food sources pushed Himalayan bears into villages, towns, and Srinagar’s heart, signalling a climate-driven shift in behaviour that Kashmir must now learn to live with.

The city is the new forest.

The Himalayan wild black bears increasingly wandering into human habitats, are triggering panic among residents and keeping Kashmir’s Wildlife Protection Department on its toes.

The latest series of encounters began on November 23, when a black bear descended from the Kotihar forests into Andoo-Shangus village in Anantnag, mauling a man and a woman.

That same morning, another bear was spotted in Soaf village, nearly 15 km away.

Wildlife teams quickly laid trap cages and installed cameras, managing to capture both animals the next day and release them back into the wild.

But the sightings did not stop.

In the following days, bears were reported across south, north, and central Kashmir.

On November 28, officials at the Achabal Control Room trapped another bear in Sagam, Kokernag, after repeated sightings caused fear among residents.

Hours later, a separate wildlife team captured a black bear in Haptnad village.

Anantnag-Kulgam Wildlife Range Warden, Sajad Bhat, said November alone saw a sharp rise in captures.

“The total number of black bears captured, rescued, and released back into their natural habitat this month is 14 – 10 from the Brengi-Kokernag range and four from the Lidder range,” he said.

The Shopian-Pulwama Wildlife Range also saw spotting of black as well as brown bears.

“Around eight black and brown bears were captured or trapped in the wildlife zone,” Wildlife Warden Suhail Wagay said.

In north and central Kashmir, about a dozen black bears have been trapped or captured.

“Eighteen bears have been captured, either by tranquilising or trapping, and released back during November in the three north Kashmir districts – Kupwara, Bandipora, and Baramulla,” an official said.

He said that in the Central Kashmir Wildlife Range, which includes Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Khrew, over six black bears were captured after being tranquilised.

“Six more black bears were given safe passage to the forests,” the official said.

However, in Budgam, only one black bear was captured.

“We got several calls, mostly from upper areas of Budgam, and they were safely moved to their habitat,” Wildlife Warden, Wetlands, Altaf Ahmad said.

Meanwhile, several bears remain at large.

One continues to roam in Aaligund near Awantipora, while another has been moving through Srinagar city for more than a week – first caught on camera near the University of Kashmir (KU)’s Girls Hostel, then seen in Habbak, Malbagh, Saderbal, Hazratbal, inside Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and even walking through the waters of Nigeen Lake.

Despite sustained efforts by wildlife officials, Police and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), both bears are yet to be captured.

Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors after dark until the situation is brought under control.

Central Kashmir Wildlife Warden, Parvez Wani, blamed unattended soil and kitchen waste for the intrusion in the city.

“We can see the waste all around the wasteland as well as on land owned by people in the stretch where the bear is roaming. So, if we provide them the habitat to thrive, they are getting shelter and food as well, why would they go back to the jungle?” Wani said.

He said efforts were ongoing and the department had upgraded its surveillance mechanisms, while cameras and drones were also being used.

“The black bear is wading through the waters of Nigeen and, in a way, becoming amphibious. So, we are using boats while traps and cages are laid at many places,” Wani said.

A senior wildlife official said the department was struggling to match the scale of the problem.

“Manpower remains the issue, and most of our field staff are daily wagers,” he said. “Yes, we are well equipped now with modern tranquilising and capturing gear. But other departments need to act too. What are the municipalities doing about proper garbage disposal?”

Wani said poor waste management and the rising stray dog population provide easy food sources that draw wild animals into inhabited areas.

“Citizens also need to act responsibly. Can’t we stop dumping kitchen waste in the open?” he said.

North Kashmir Wildlife Warden, Suhail Intesar, said trapping success was limited when food was easily available outside.

“A trap cage uses bait that a bear prefers. But when food is everywhere – fallen fruit in orchards and kitchen refuse in garbage dumps, why would a bear enter a cage?” he said.

Intesar said that preventing bears from entering villages was nearly impossible as long as attractants remain.

“There’s no technique for stopping bears. We have to remove what draws them in, and the Wildlife Department alone cannot do that,” he said.

Intesar said climate change was altering the behaviour of bears. “Our garbage dumps and leftover apples in orchards feed these bears, and delayed snowfall in lower areas means they can postpone or even skip hibernation altogether. They may stay active throughout the winter,” he said.

As encounters grow more frequent, experts say coexistence may be the new reality.

“Bears have learned to live with us. Now we have to learn to live with them,” Intesar said.