Livestock depredation by large carnivores in Western Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir: temporal adherence in predator's choice.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]