Abstract
Background
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a serious management problem in India where humans and wildlife share space and resources. This problem is particularly acute in the Himalayan Mountain region. As the lives and livelihoods of local residents are inextricably linked to wildlife, it is important to know the extent of damage caused by HWC to local people.
Methods
In this work, the pattern of HWC was assessed in the Chowkibal-Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, based on self-reported losses of livestock to large carnivores by local people (N = 217).
Results
The carnivores that were perceived by local stakeholders to be responsible for livestock depredation were identified as the Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear and Common leopard. It was found that the leopards reportedly killed livestock throughout the year at the relatively low altitude zones, but black bears and brown bears reportedly killed livestock in the monsoon months at the relatively higher altitude zones. It was also reported that the leopards prefer to kill small to medium-sized livestock, but the bears had no such preferences.
Conclusion
This work recommends that the Forest and Wildlife Department or community-based livestock insurance schemes should practice quick and efficient compensation systems, improve night livestock shelters, and community-based supervised livestock grazing practices to reduce livestock losses due to wild carnivores.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express gratitude to the Director and Dean, Wildlife Institute of India for their support for the study. Authors also thank Mr. Jaswinder Singh (Sheep husbandry, Tangdhar) and Mr. Babu Singh for their help to identify the target communities, where herding was carried out as a livelihood activity.
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Singh, A.P., De, K., Uniyal, V.P. et al. Livestock depredation by large carnivores in Western Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir: temporal adherence in predator’s choice. Trop Ecol 65, 26–31 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-022-00290-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-022-00290-6