Nature’s Clock Broken: Climate change keeping Kashmir’s bears awake, hungry
In Kashmir, warmer winters and delayed snowfall — consequences of climate change — are disrupting bears’ natural hibernation cycle. This year, many bears didn’t enter their winter dens as usual, choosing instead to roam villages, orchards, and even city streets. Conservation officials report dozens of captured bears across the region as they venture into human settlements in search of food. Open garbage, leftover fruit in orchards, and other easy food sources are luring them out. The altered behaviour, driven by climate and human activity, is raising concerns about rising human-wildlife conflict and forcing residents to adapt to a new reality of coexisting with wild bears.
The Key points
- Kashmir has seen a surge in bear sightings in villages and urban areas as bears skip hibernation.
- Nearly 50 bears were captured in November alone, highlighting the scale of the shift.
- Delayed snowfall and milder winter temperatures prevent bears from instinctively entering dens.
- Abundant food sources — garbage dumps, leftover fruit, waste — keep bears active through winter.
- Bears are increasingly wandering into human-dominated zones, including orchards, farmlands, and towns.
- Wildlife officials warn that poor waste management is drawing bears closer to homes.
- Some bears were trapped even within city boundaries, near lakes and residential zones.
- The change in bear behaviour is attributed to climate change and increased human-habitat interaction.
- The trend suggests a rising number of human-bear encounters, raising safety and conservation concerns.
- Experts suggest that coexistence strategies and stricter waste-management practices are now essential.
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