A free-ranging female Himalayan black bear repeatedly involved in human-wildlife conflict has been captured and safely rehabilitated in the state.
The bear had killed more than 10 livestock belonging to villagers in the Dansa Panchayat of Rampur, Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh. The bear has now been released into a dense forest in a remote area outside Rampur.
For the past month, the female bear has preyed on more than 10 livestock like calves, pet dogs,... Furthermore, the bear has repeatedly vandalised sheds built by villagers for their domestic cattle.
The forest department in a statement said that this is the first time such a large bear has been captured in the state. The department formed a Rapid Rescue Team (RRT) for this purpose. For the past three to four days, this team has been continuously urging residents of the area to be vigilant and cautious through loudspeakers.
Local traditional methods were used for conflict control, primarily burning chili peppers in cowdung cakes to create smoke (natural repellent smoke), which helped in keeping the bear away from human settlements. Alongside this, modern technologies such as ANIDERS (Automatic Night Intrusion Detection & Repellent System) devices were used, which issued sound and light-based alerts to prevent bear intrusion.