Bears in the Backyard: Kashmir’s Growing Challenge |
By Dr. Mohsin Ali Gazi
On a cold morning in Kashmir, farmers walk through their orchards and shake their heads at the damage left behind by a black bear. Fences torn down, soil dug up, and livestock scattered.
Stories like this are becoming common in Kashmir. Leopards wandering into streets, wild boars raiding fields, and monkeys getting into kitchens are just some of the ways people are running into wildlife more often these days.
Humans and animals are now sharing the same shrinking spaces.
Orchards, pastures, and garbage dumps attract bears, leopards, and boars. Fruit trees draw bears during harvest, leopards follow dogs........