Author: Choudhury, Sujoy
Title: Predator Alert: Attacks on humans by leopards and Asiatic black bear in the Kashmir valley - Analysis of case studies and spatial patterns of elevated conflict
Summary: The sudden increase in human-wild animal conflict in Jammu and Kashmir has caused immense loss to human life and property which has translated into a public outcry. The government on its part has been concerned and instituted a study conducted jointly by the Wildlife Trust of India and the Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir. The purpose of this study was to suggest measures which could be employed to reduce this conflict. The study was mainly centered in the Kashmir valley although surveys were also conducted in the Poonch- Rajouri region of Jammu. Over 200 victims were interviewed and over a hundred locations visited and inspected. The purpose of this exercise was an attempt to understand the underlying causes of this conflict and then suggest prescriptions for its mitigation. 1. The data suggested a seasonal pattern in attacks with bear attacks appearing more in autumn, coinciding with the fruit ripening season while leopard attacks were more common in the winter-spring seasons. Most attacks occurred in daylight hours. 2. Most current attacks by bear occurred in agricultural fields (including orchards) while 52% of all leopard attacks occurred close to habitations. 3. The majority of bear attacks occurred in the southeast of the valley (Tral and Khrew) with some attacks occurring in Kulgam area also. Leopard attacks are higher in concentration in the Kupwara, Handawara areas (north Kashmir) with some dispersed in Khrew-Khonmoh and Shangus areas also. 4. The bear conflict areas were significantly correlated to patch density, total edge length and the juxtaposition of patches of forests. In case of leopards, strong positive associations were found with mean temperatures and annual precipitation, and a lower mean distance to forest edges. The report made the following recommendations: ØIt is also proposed to re-align the current compensatory mechanism. As a first step, it is suggested that the term 'compensation' be dropped in favor of 'ex gratia payments'. A floating pool of funds should be made available at the level of the Wildlife Warden from which immediate payment of Rs.5,000/- to the victim/next-of-kin should be made. Inter-sectoral cooperation from the State's Department of Health is suggested, such that the victim of the attack need not spend the ex gratia payment on treatment. To prevent the considerable social opportunity costs often borne by victims who have been permanently disabled, it is suggested that mechanisms for their rehabilitation be developed in consultation with other Government Departments (e.g. the Department of Social Welfare) and the non-government sector. ØAwareness programs, targeted at conflict mitigation need to be conducted at all levels – from community levels at the grassroots, through frontline staff and higher echelons of the DWLP and Forest Department. Sensitization programs at all levels targeting decision makers, the legislature, bureaucracy, the Police and Security Forces need to be conducted. Training in trapping and tranquilization techniques, research and monitoring (pug mark, signs, scrapes recognition etc), and on data entry, analysis and reporting need to be introduced at all levels of the DWLP and FD. The Police and the Civil Administration can also play a significant role in helping to manage conflict, and their active participation should be sought. They should be encouraged to attend training programs on dealing with conflict situations. ØThe establishment of a Central Conflict Mitigation Command Center (CMCC) to facilitate the 24/7 availability of a telephone number which communities can call to report any incident involving wildlife (sighting, crop raiding, livestock lifting or attacks on people) would form the first step in the process. o The development of community-level Primary Reaction Teams (PRTs) should be encour a ged, compr i s ing of e i t he r paid/volunteer local members whose primary responsibilities would include isolation of animals involved in conflict and more importantly, in crowd control, to ensure that local communities do not attempt to tackle dangerous animals without supervision. o The creation of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to deal with conflict is essential, requiring both training and investment in specialized equipment. separate RRTs be c re a t ed should b e e s t a b l i shed a t Divisional/Regional levels to deal with distinct but complimentary aspects of conflict management. ØAs the majority of incidents recorded have occurred outside of Protected Area jurisdictions, the DWLP is already at a considerable disadvantage - the primary felt need is thus to improve the manpower resources available to the DWLP. Poor mobility and communications facilities available to the frontline staff which hampers prompt response to conflict incidents should be addressed at the earliest. At Regional level, mobile animal intervention vans, capable of transporting animals, should be made immediately available. One Wildlife Veterinary officer should also be appointed to each region Active involvement of the frontline staff of the Territorial Forest Department, Social Forestry Department, SMC Department and other Government agencies would go a long way which calls for both inter-sectoral cooperation, as well as the need for awareness and training programs for frontline staff beyond just the DWLP. ØIt is critical that the DWLP establish a monitoring and evaluation system. Such a system will help in terms of conservation management where decisions on the fate of individual animals cannot be taken without a thorough understanding of factors like the density, distribution and dynamics of the surrounding population. There are three distinct means of collecting, processing and analyzing the data necessary for detailed research into these issues: o develop and maintain capacity of the DWLP and Forest Department; o establish linkages with local educational/ research establishments; and o contract the work to agencies external to the State. ØLong-term measures that should also be considered include habitat improvements/ restoration. However, these would need to be carefully considered as any improvement should only be applied in areas where populations of the carnivore in question can be safely augmented rather than by random application.
Details: Uttar Pradesh, India: Wildlife Trust of India, 2008. 76p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 26, 2013 at: http://199.79.62.14/~wtior33y/publications/predator-alert.pdf
Year: 2008
Country: India
URL:
Shelf Number: 128144
Keywords:
Asiatic Black BearHuman-Animal Conflict (India)LeopardsWildlife Management |
