Srinagar 4 June : As wild animal attacks have increased over past years and Wildlife Department of Jammu and Kashmir coming under heavy criticism from people of the valley for alleged dereliction of duty, Regional Wildlife Warden Kashmir said that to blame the department for the attacks is not justifiable.
While talking to news agency Kashmir News Bureau, Warden Rashid Naqash said, “The officers of the department deployed in the areas under the jurisdiction of the wildlife department are present and active 24/7.”
“It is not necessary that the rest of the area ‘18,000 sq Km forest territorial area’ does not have wild animals. From past years, wild animals have adapted in Urban areas, suburbs, town ships, blocks, and Panchayats also,” the Warden Kashmir said.
Kashmir News Bureau asked the reason behind the increase in the number of incidents in which wild animals such as leopards and black bears have been roaming around the human populated areas.
He responded, “These animals are not infiltrating our territory but we, humans are infiltrating theirs.”
“We are bearing the consequences of the change in landscape we have made in the past 40 years,” he added.
“The Horticulture has boomed and established within the forest land; human settlements are taking place close or inside the forest territory now. So, why not be prepared for the consequences as well?” He asked.
Regarding the Ompura’s heartbreaking incident, in which a 4 year old girl was mauled to death by a leopard last night. The Warden Kashmir said that there is a created wilderness zone in the area.
“There is an adjacent nursery, which has become dense because the forest department has abandoned it. Plants have not been removed, resulting in the formation of a dense forest with time,” he said, adding that the issue has been there for the past 2 years.
“More than 50 times, our department set-up camps there and just around 15 days ago, officers trapped a leopard as well,” the Warden Kashmir said.
Rashid Naqash said that as soon as the movement of wild animals is confirmed within any hotspot areas, the Wildlife department establishes camps to tackle the situation.
