Indian army abusing wildlife

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Army blamed for Kashmir's dwindling wildlife: Officials

Saturday, 08 March 2008 18:36

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*Army blamed for Kashmir's dwindling wildlife: Officials*

*Marouf Ahmad*

Srinagar, March 8:Although Army has 'helped' to stop poaching of wild

animals in the Kashmir valley, it's responsible for their declining number,

officials say.

According to the wildlife authorities, troops camping in forests rear

various wild animals leading to wandering of these animals into human

domains.

" Dogs, usually accompanying troops, attract the leopards towards the army

camps in forests. Troops then rear them (leopards) up until they grow, "

Wildlife Conservator (North) Mushtaq Ahmad told etala'at.

The leopards, he said, remain with the army until they feel safe from it,

and once they feel insecure, they leave them.

" Until this stage, the natural instincts of obtaining food by these animals

get disturbed and they start wandering in human populations, " Ahmad said.

Leopard is not the exception; food habits of other mammals including black

bear and jackals, according to the officials, too are disturbed by the army.

" They offer bread and other eatables to black bears and jackals in the

forest making these animals adapted to artificial food, " said Ahmad.

The stepping of the animals into human domain usually leads to their

killing. Recently, carcass of a leopard cub was recovered by the residents

from a manhole in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

Ten wild animals including four leopards were killed in recent past

primarily due to 'biotic' interference in their habitat. The killed animals

also included four jackals, a black bear and a porcupine.

In 2002, Indian television channels showed a leopard nurtured by troops at

Wusan camp in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. The leopard brought up at

the camp by the troops finally went out of its control.

" It was after hectic measures that the animal was caught and was eventually

abandoned at the Dachigam National Park, " Ahmad, the conservator, said.

Chief wildlife Warden, Kashmir, Farooq Geelani said that any biotic

interference in wild habitation leads to vulnerability of the animals.

" It's a proven fact that habitat disturbance leads to the downfall of wild

animals and it's not only confined to Kashmir but to other states too, " he

said, adding, " Legal or illegal biotic interference in anyway, may it be the

local population who are spreading their territory to upper jungles or Army

affects the wildlife. "

Geelani, however, said that Army is " well aware " about the wildlife laws and

" if at all they upset the habits of animals, their presence have also served

better for conserving the animals for poaching has been reduced to naught. "

Army's Srinagar-based spokesman, Lt Col AK Mathur rejected the charges

against the Army as baseless.

" We have nothing to do with wildlife may it be leopard or any other beast.

Let them show a single case, " he said.

Regarding the Wusan incident, Mathur said, " The animal had got trapped in

the barbed wire and soldiers actually came to its rescue. After it got

better, it left the camp. "