WILD LEOPARD AND BEAR ATTACKS HAVE CREATED HAVOC IN UTTARAKHAND.

The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is under the incessant invasion of dangerous wild life and the government of the day and its forest department is conspicous by their absense in not doing anything concrete to counter the wild life’s terrorising menace. The situation has assumed so risky proportions that human life is today completely at mercy of the wild cats and the bears. Number of incidents of gruesome killings at the behest of the maneater leopards, tigers and wild bears have come to notice for the last two years with the number of casualties increasing day by day but of no avail on the part of the state government to set right the situation. A most tragic incident of wild bear attack was reported in a village in Yamkeshwar block where a local inhabitant of Umdaa village, 59 year old CHANDRA PRAKASH was badly injured as he litrally fought with the bear and suffered deadly injuries. The grievously injured is in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh fighting for survival. The injured had gone to the nearby jungle to collect fodder for cows and buffaloes when he was attacked by the wild bear. It is usually said that the bear who remain in the high mountain altitudes come down during the winter season due to the excessive snow covers that creates green food shortages. In addition to this the increasing activities of construction and the so called development has disturbed the wild life particularly the leopards and bears who come near the human settlements i.e. the forests adjoining the villages. When the men and women enter jungles for green grass or animal fodder these wild animals become fearful and attack them in self defence as well as lack of food stuff. While in 2017 about 140 leopards were declared as man eaters there had also been 17 bear attacks in the Chamoli district’s Bhatwari village range grievously injuring several women and children who’d gone in the local jungle for pet animal fodder. In Almora, Rudraprayag and Pauri districts too these incidents of wild life attacks resulting in several casualties have created an alarming situation with the Uttarakhand Forest Department having no clue, whatsoever, to safeguard the precious lives of the states’ inhabitants. Uttarakhand is already suffering from mass scale migration with thousands of villages having become ghost villages. The monkeys, wild pigs had already destroyed the agricultural produce of the villagers and the increasing man eater leopard and bear attacks have also made the life of the villagers tremendously dangerous and unpredictable. In the last week two shocking incidents of leopard attacks were reported from Uttarakhand’s Almora district in which two precious lives of a 6th class student and a twenty five year old were claimed by the maneater tigers. While the dearth of animal preys is cited as one of the prime reason for wild cats coming nearer, towards human settlements to fulfil their hunger , another reason may be due the villages becoming vacant these wild animals find themselves convenient to come closer towards them ( the villages with little population) and kill human beings when confronted with.
SUNIL NEGI