Curbs on encroachment of forestland could be an ideal way to preserve the habitats of wild animals for reducing the increasing attacks of wild animals on civilians in plains
The attacks by wild animals particularly bears and leopards on civilians in the plains of Kashmir valley are rising unprecedently as 2-3 such incidents are reported every month from Srinagar city and several other parts of Kashmir Valley. Not only attacks by wild animals but also deaths of civilians in such attacks are rising year after year and unfortunately major reason for rise in incidents of the appearance of wild animals’ in plains of Kashmir is believed to be the destruction of the habitats of the wild animals as experts believe that destruction of habitats force wild animals to move into civilian areas. While the attempts of the civilians to capture the wild animals in most of the attacks have failed, the onus of checking the movement of the wild animals in civilian areas and capturing them dead or alive lies on the field functionaries of the wildlife department trained for the purposes of combating the attacks by the wild animals in the civilian areas. Public awareness is though part of a strategy of the wildlife department to combat rising attacks of wild animals on civilians in the plains of Kashmir Valley but this practice followed very seriously by the wild life department has not reduced the increasing attacks of wild animals on civilians in plains. Though experts believe that preserving the habitat of wild animals could be a better strategy to reduce their increasing movement in civilian areas but unfortunately wildlife department is not taking proactive measures for preserving the habitats of wild animals in either Kashmir Valley or Jammu division. Since encroachment on forest land in most of the areas of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division has destroyed the habitats of wild animals, the curbs on encroachment of forestland could be an ideal way to preserve the habitats of wild animals for the purposes of reducing the increasing attacks of wild animals on civilians in plains.
“Though onus of preserving the forest cover for the purposes of preserving the habitat of wild animals lies on the Government but without cooperation of the people encroachments of forest land can not be stopped anywhere nearer to hilly resorts and consequently without cooperation of the people in preserving the forest cover the habitats of wild animals can’t be preserved in either Kashmir Valley or Jammu division”.
Construction of both residential and commercial structures very close in the vicinity of hilly resorts is a very bad trend which in the opinion of wild life experts has not only destroyed the habitats of wild animals only to force them to move into the civilian areas but it has also unprecedentedly reduced the forest cover of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Though onus of preserving the forest cover for the purposes of preserving the habitat of wild animals lies on the Government but without cooperation of the people encroachments of forest land cannot be stopped anywhere nearer to hilly resorts and consequently without cooperation of the people in preserving the forest cover the habitats of wild animals can’t be preserved in either Kashmir Valley or Jammu division.
