(MENAFN- IANS) Srinagar, July 21 (IANS) A 40-year-old man was injured in a bear attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Sunday.

Officials identified the man as Bashir Ahmad Chopan of Chopan Mohalla in Manigam village of the district. He was attacked in the morning.

“He has been shifted to a hospital in Srinagar city and wildlife department officials have been alerted about the bear roaming in the area,” officials said.

Incidents of human-wildlife conflict have increased in Kashmir over the past few decades. This is attributed to the increased numbers of wildlife as poaching is prohibited under the stringent wildlife protection laws in J&K.

The other major factor responsible for human-wildlife conflict is the encroachment of wildlife habitats by the growing world population.

Human settlements have sprung up in places that are otherwise the ecological habitats of wildlife. This has brought humans and wildlife into direct conflict and competition, resulting in clashes.

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