In the dark, fear ran through the lanes faster than news. Phones buzzed. Doors slammed shut. Windows cracked open. People whispered one word in shock. Bear.

A Himalayan black bear had wandered in the crowded streets of Hazratbal. Not as a symbol. Not in a documentary. But in flesh and breath. Confused. Cornered. Chased.

Videos flooded social media within minutes. Street dogs barking wildly. People screaming. The bear climbing electric poles. Scaling walls. Running in panic. An image both terrifying and tragic. This was not just a scare. It was a message.

Let us be honest. The bear did not enter our world. We entered his. City is no longer just a residential area. It is a living pressure zone. Expanding endlessly. Concrete grows where forests once stood. Roads eat into green belts. Construction never sleeps. Noise never rests.

And wildlife? It has nowhere left to go. So, when the forest shrinks, the forest walks. Into our streets. Into our fears. Into our fragile sense of safety.

The bear........

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