Srinagar, Dec 4: Why aren’t Kashmir’s bears hibernating anymore?

Snowfall this year is late, and the bears didn’t wait.

From orchards to city lakes, Kashmir is watching its wildest neighbours wander deeper into human habitats than ever before.

Nearly 50 bears were captured in November as delayed snowfall, open garbage, and easy food sources pushed Himalayan bears into villages, towns, and Srinagar’s heart, signalling a climate-driven shift in behaviour that Kashmir must now learn to live with.

The city is the new forest.

The Himalayan wild black bears increasingly wandering into human habitats, are triggering panic among residents and keeping Kashmir’s Wildlife Protection Department on its toes.

The latest series of encounters began on November 23, when a black bear descended from th

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