(IN): Wildlife rangers in Kashmir tackle man-animal conflict

January 5, 2009

Link:

kle_man-animal_conflict/articleshow/3936678.cms

Wildlife rangers in Kashmir tackle man-animal conflict

5 Jan 2009, 1144 hrs IST, ANI

SRINAGAR: The Wildlife wing of the Jammu and Kashmir government's Forest

Department has been conducting a research on Asiatic black bears in

the Srinagar region of the Dachigam National Park.

Rangers and volunteers wildlife enthusiasts are studying the bears' home

ranges, seasonal movements, habitat use, breeding nature and behavioural

traits.

In a bid to control rising incidents of man-animal conflict, particularly

during the winter season when bears tend to move into human habitat, the

rangers have launched a drive to fix radio collars on these majestic

mammals.

According to the rangers, this is the first time that bears are being fitted

with radio collars.

" Collaring is done on an experimental basis. It is a part of our research.

It's not really possible to collar up all animals. So, we have just collared

sample animals to notice their behaviour and trends. Presently, we have

collared a black bear to notice its trends, " said Suhail Ahmed, Wildlife

Warden, Dachigam National Park.

A radio collar has been fitted on a six-year old Asiatic black bear that was

in semi-captivity at the Animal Rescue Centre in Dachigam.

" This collar is basically a radio collar. It has GPRS and VHS facilities in

it so that we can monitor the activity of the animal, " said Lalit Kumar, an

official of th Wildlife Institute of India.

Among other parameters which will be studied under this programme are the

patterns of the Asiatic black bear's interaction with humans, and links

between food availability (both natural and non-natural such as cooked or

processed).

Besides, it also includes documenting age-and sex-specific behavioural,

physical and reproductive responses under varying conditions.

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