Jammu & Kashmir wildlife population rising

Dear All,
I came across this news about Jammu & Kashmir's wildlife. The news is certainly encouraging. I hope this news containing some casual estimates is correct. Relevant extracts of the news has been produced here after being edited as per our rules.
Sabyasachi

Jammu & Kashmir wildlife population rising: Officials

REUTERS 17 November 2009, 06:16pm IST


DACHIGAM: The wildlife population of Jammu & Kashmir has registered a "manifold" increase as a two-decade-old separatist rebellion has scared away poachers and hunters from the region, a wildlife official said on Tuesday.

Rare birds like the black partridge and pheasant have increased in thousands while more Asiatic black bear, leopards, musk deer and hangul, a rare red deer, now roam the ******** Himalayan region's pine forests.

"For fear of being caught in exchanges of fire between militants and the security forces, no one dared to venture deep into the forests in the past 20 years," Kashmir's wildlife warden, Rashid Naqash, told Reuters in Dachigam Sanctuary.

"Also, local hunters were ordered to hand in their guns. The impact is visible, there has been a manifold increase in wildlife."

In 1990, Indian authorities asked residents to deposit their hunting rifles with police as part of efforts to quell the revolt.

Authorities estimate the number of threatened black bear, which also inhabit hilly and mountainous forests across Asia from Afghanistan to Taiwan, has jumped in Kashmir to 2,500-3,000 from 700-800 since 1990.

Officials say the increase in wildlife population is good news for Kashmir's ailing tourism industry.


The full text can be found here:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/5240124.cms

Dear All,
Sharing this article that had appeared in Indian Express.
Sabyasachi

Satellite collars to track bears in valley
Bashaarat Masood

In the first such move in India, the J-K Wildlife Department has put satellite collars on black bears to study their ecological behaviour and to help prevent the man-animal conflict from escalating.

A team of researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India, which is studying the ecology of the black bear, has put the satellite collars on three black bears a male, female and a cub in the Dachigam National Park. So far, radio collars have been used to track animals in India, but a satellite can automatically pick up signals from a collar in the dark and even through snowstorms. The collars consist of a special transmitter which sends a signal to a passing satellite. A computer on board the satellite calculates the location of the animal and sends the information to ground stations.

These satellite collars will help the Wildlife Department study the ecological behaviour, habitat and foot habits of the Himalayan black bear, declared as a protected species by International Union for Conservation of Nature, says Wildlife warden Rashid Naqash. “This will help us in conservation efforts”.

The satellite collars can also help the prevent man-animal conflicts in the Valley that have already killed more than 25 people in past four years and injured more than 150. “We can study the behaviour of these animals and when they move towards human habitations,” says Naqash says. “We are concerned about the man-animal conflict,” says state Forests and Wildlife Minister Mian Altaf. “We are trying to find a solution that will not affect wildlife adversely”.

The source article can be found here:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sa...valley/541911/