Srinagar | December 4, 2025
For almost a week, Srinagar has been witnessing unusual — and increasingly frequent — visits from wild black bears, with the animals spotted moving quietly through university campuses and open institutional spaces before disappearing into nearby green belts, leaving wildlife teams scrambling to track them.
Officials say the pattern indicates a mixed picture: improving wildlife numbers but shrinking natural spaces for them to thrive.
“On one hand, the rise in bear sightings points to a healthier forest ecosystem and a growing bear population,” said Kashmir’s Regional Wildlife Warden, Tawheed Deva. “But it also reflects how human expansion and disturbance around forest fringes are pushing these animals closer to residential and institutional areas.”
According to wildlife authorities, food waste dumped near forest edges has become a major magnet, drawing bears out of their natural habitat. Deva noted that increased movement of people deep into forest zones — for recreation, firewood collection, or grazing — further disturbs wildlife corridors.
Teams equipped with tranquiliser guns, cages, and thermal-tracking devices have been conducting night patrols across sensitive zones in Srinagar. While several sightings have been reported from university and college campuses, none of the animals have been captured so far.
Wildlife officials have urged the public to avoid venturing into forested fringes during early mornings or late evenings and to report sightings immediately. Residents living near wooded areas have also been asked to properly dispose of food waste to avoid attracting wild animals.
As bear-human interactions increase across Kashmir, experts say the latest “campus tour” is a reminder of the fragile balance between conservation success and expanding urbanisation in the Valley.
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