The Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department on Saturday, 7 November 2026, captured four wild Asiatic black bears that had strayed into human habitations across south Kashmir, officials confirmed. The successful operation underscores the growing frequency of human-wildlife conflict in the Kashmir Valley as bears increasingly venture out of forest cover and into residential areas.

Details of the Operation

Officials said a 500-kg male bear was successfully tranquillised at Bachoo Sagam in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district. Three additional bears were captured in cages installed at Ashmaqum by the Seer Wildlife Control Room. All four animals were taken alive by the Wildlife South Division Bijbehara during what officials described as a day-long operation. The bears will be kept under surveillance before being restored to their natural habitat.

Why Bears Are Venturing Into Villages

Wild bears — primarily the Asiatic black bear — are increasingly wandering into residential areas, university campuses, and villages across the Kashmir Valley. According to wildlife officials, climate change and unseasonably mild or shortened winters have disrupted natural hibernation cycles, keeping bears active for longer periods than usual. Expanding apple orchards, shifting land-use patterns, and shrinking forest buffer zones are drawing wildlife closer to human settlements in search of food.

Notably, stronger enforcement of wildlife protection laws and anti-poaching bans have contributed to a healthy growth in the wild bear population — a conservation success that has simultaneously raised the frequency of overlap with human habitations. Bears have been reported roaming through parts of Srinagar (including university campuses), Anantnag, Ganderbal, Bandipora, and Kupwara districts.

Leopards and Other Wildlife Also Encroaching

The black bear surge is part of a broader pattern. The common leopard has emerged as the primary driver of human-wildlife encounters in the Valley, having grown highly adaptable to dense social forestry plantations, nursery grounds, and apple orchards used as cover. Stray dogs feeding on poorly managed garbage near towns and villages provide a ready food source, as does local livestock and poultry.

In recent weeks, the J&K Wildlife Protection Department successfully trapped and relocated leopards following sightings near Budgam Degree College Road, residential colonies in Baramulla — including Microwave Colony — and villages across Ganderbal and Kulgam. Frequent sightings and rescue operations have triggered widespread public anxiety across multiple districts.

What Authorities Are Doing

The J&K Wildlife Protection Department has deployed rapid-response teams and dedicated control rooms to tranquillise and capture straying animals, with many being relocated to natural habitats such as Dachigam National Park. Authorities are advising residents to exercise caution during peak harvesting and early winter hours, secure garbage and livestock properly, and report all wildlife sightings immediately to local wildlife control rooms.

With winter approaching and hibernation patterns remaining unpredictable, wildlife officials are expected to remain on heightened alert across all districts of the Kashmir Valley.