Rising man-animal conflict: tragic leopard attack claims young life in Kashmir

A Village in North Kashmir witnessed two deaths in a span of 2 months, children fear making it to schools

With no end to Man-Animal conflict incidents in Kashmir, fear is smearing among the local population in the Nichama area of Handwara in frontier district Kupwara, after a leopard attack on Monday claimed another life, the second in a span of two months.

The officials confirmed to Ground Report about the death of a 4-year-old boy and said that he was attacked by a leopard when he was on his lawn on Monday morning.

“The particular area is in the lap of dense forest range and this is the second death in the area within a span of two months”, the official said.

Leopard Fear Hampers Schooling

A social activist in the area informed Ground Report that they are concerned about the rapid increase in leopard attacks on humans in their region. They mentioned that the wildlife authorities are taking very little action to alleviate their suffering.

“There is fear among the locals to venture out, kids are not able to go to school as the wildlife department is doing very less to end the crisis in the area”, he said.

According to the locals, despite the repeated leopard attacks in the area, wildlife authorities have not deployed any additional guards for domination.

Spike in Leopard Attacks 

Pertinent to note that in recent years, the number of leopard attacks in Kashmir has witnessed a disturbing upward trend. As human settlements expand, people believe that encroaching upon the natural habitats of these majestic creatures leads to inevitable confrontations, which force them to venture into human-dominated areas in search of food and shelter.

The officials said that the incident was not a first of it’s kind in the area, saying that the area has witnessed a similar incident around 2 months back when a leopard mauled and killed a 7-year-old girl.

Poor Handling of Crisis, Locals Blame 

The officials have issued a shot-at-sight order to kill the man-eater, while the locals claim that the wildlife authorities have done nothing much, stating that they lack equipment and manpower to handle the crisis in the area.

Officials reported that several leopard injury cases were documented in the Kupwara district this year, in addition to the four deaths.

An official said, "We have set off the cages to trap down the roaming leopard, but we have not achieved any success so far."

Nocturnal Nature

Leopards primarily hunt during the night, making it difficult for humans to spot them until it's too late. This nocturnal nature further adds to the element of surprise, leaving unsuspecting individuals vulnerable to attacks.

On 28 August evening, a leopard attacked and dragged a 7-year-old boy from Nesbal village in Sumbal in north Kashmir's Bandipora district. The next morning, his mauled body was recovered near a hillock.

Mitigating the Conflict

The experts call for creating awareness among communities living in close proximity to leopard habitats. They say that educating people about the behaviour and ecology of leopards can help them understand the precautions necessary for minimizing encounters. They emphasize that awareness can be spread through community engagement programs, school workshops, and media campaigns.

Experts also suggest that we should make efforts to reduce human encroachment into leopard habitats. They propose achieving this by preserving and expanding protected areas, establishing buffer zones, and implementing measures to restrict further deforestation and urbanization.

Understanding Underlying Causes Of Conflict

As the escalating incidents of leopard attacks in Kashmir are worrying there is a demand and need of immediate attention towards mitigating the man-animal conflict crisis.

According to experts, understanding the underlying causes of the conflict and taking proactive measures can pave the way for peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Experts term the promotion of awareness and reduction of human encroachment as key steps towards mitigating the menace of animal attacks.

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