The burning of a bear to death by a mob in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district
last month has exposed the inefficiency of Wildlife Department in the
management and protection of wild animals in the Valley. While the
department blames the people and police for the incident, the government has
ordered a probe and attached four officials. The Wildlife Department people
had reportedly acted as mute spectators when the bear was first beaten and
then ruthlessly set ablaze by the mob at Tral town. Though the incident took
place on November 18, it was kept under carpet till a private TV news
channel Sahara Samay showed the footage of the incident on December 17. “The
bear had a child in its lap for 20 minutes, it however did not harm him. The
animal left the child but the villagers locked it in a cowshed for night. In
the morning, the animal tried to escape but the villagers chased it and
burnt it,” Bilal Bhat, Srinagar Bureau Chief of the Sahara Samay told
Greater Kashmir.
“We saw officials of Wildlife shooting the bear with camera while it was set
on fire. We asked them why they didn’t rescue the animal, they said the
animal ‘had to die.’ Their reply shocked us.” Chief Wildlife Warden AK
Shrivastava said a probe has been ordered into the incident. “We have
identified the persons who killed the bear and asked the police to register
the case against them,” he said. Besides, four officials, including a forest
officer have been attached and Principal Conservator of Forests has been
appointed as the inquiry officer “We did not face these kind of problems
before. We will take immediate steps to upgrade our infrastructure,” he
added.
Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Meraj-ud-Din Kakroo told Greater Kashmir that he
has ordered a probe into the matter. “I have directed the Senior
Superintendent of Police Awantipora to take immediate and stringent action
against the culprits who committed the brutal act. I have also asked the
Chief Wildlife Warden to submit a detailed report on the incident and how to
prevent their recurrence in future,” Kakroo said. But according to the
wildlife experts the wildlife department exists on papers only as there is
no laboratory, wildlife management tools and communication and
transportation system.
Last year 25 wild animals, mostly leopards were killed by people across the
Valley. Another leopard who was beaten to moribund state by people, was kept
in a lock-up of Sopur Police Station for a day and then ferried to Dachigam
Wildlife Park in an auto-rickshaw. In 2003, a senior official of the
department was injured while catching a leopard in Lal Bazaar here as he did
not have required equipment like shooting nets. The Wildlife Department last
year had submitted a proposal of Rs 27 lakh for purchasing important drugs,
including vials for tranquilizers and mandatory equipment for wildlife
management like cages, guns, darts and nets. Though Rs 1.74 lakhs were
sanctioned the funds were made to lapse.
Sources said the department failed to carry out works plan of 2004, which
included rescue and relief operations of confiscated and abandoned animals,
in violations of National Wildlife Action Plan and IUCN’s Species Survived
Commission recommendations. Besides, the department has not carried any
survey regarding the growing man-animal conflict in the Valley. In October
2004, Chief Wildlife Biologist Dr Mir M Mansoor had forewarned the concerned
authorities about the consequences of man-animal conflict. “If any untoward
incident takes place with respect to wildlife health care and management
takes place, the same need to be attributed to the department’s veterinary
wing. Instead it would be purely a part of authorities who have failed to
provided basic facilities to this wing,” Dr Mansoor had said in his letter.
“The lack of facilities of emergency nature to the wing has resulted in
several causalities in the recent past which could have been averted. The
black bear and the leopard cubs brought from Kupwara succumbed only because
of unavailability of basic facilities.” “The non-scientific and
non-sustainable development oriented approach is likely to turn the Wildlife
Protection Department from a natural resource conservation sector into a
developmental organization like PWD and JKPCC,” Dr Mansoor said.
In the absence of non-implementation of projects and procurement of
infrastructure over the years had increased the man-animal conflicts.
Regional Wildlife Warden Farooq Geelani told Greater Kashmir that the
incident of burning the bear was “unfortunate and shameful.” “Though this in
an isolated incident, it should serve as an eye-opener for the department
and we will ensure that such incidents don’t recur,” he said.
He said, “When the mob is so furious even if we have necessary equipment, we
cannot do anything. We got the information about the presence of bear and
when some officers reached there, the bear had been killed.” “This was a law
and order problem and it was the responsibility of police to control the
situation,” he added. He said the department has trained staff but that is
meant for management of wild animals in protected areas. When contacted, an
official of Police Station Tral refused to give details about the incident.
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