Two critically-endangered Himalayan brown bears were sighted in Drass area of Ladakh division on Sunday after their hibernation, wildlife officials said.
Range officer, wildlife department Kargil, Bashir Ahmed confirmed to Greater Kashmir that two Himalayan brown bears were sighted in Drass.
A senior wildlife department official said they expect more such animals to be active in the area.
“The population of brown bear is declining all over and sightings are rare elsewhere. But in our state, these animals have been spotted in Hirpora (Shopian) and Poonch. But at all these places, only a single animal or a female with one cub has been spotted,” he said. Pertinently, during the 1999 Kargil war, there was heavy artillery shelling for three months and it had devastated the bear habitats, a source said.
“But it seems the impact is waning now and it could be the other reason for increase in the numbers,” another wildlife department official said. “Brown bears usually hibernate and go for aestivation to avoid harsh environmental and climatic conditions. The phase sets in usually in the month of October and till onset of spring with assured food availability around. The new sighting has given more hope as it is a good beginning,” regional wildlife warden Rashid Naqash told Greater Kashmir.