Jammu and Kashmir's Wildlife Confrontations: Human Toll and Government Response

In the last two years, man-wildlife conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in 32 deaths and 269 injuries. Forest Minister Javed Ahmed Rana informed the Assembly about these incidents, highlighting the government compensation of over Rs 276 lakh distributed to affected families.

In a sobering revelation, the Jammu and Kashmir government announced that 32 individuals lost their lives while 269 sustained injuries in conflicts with wildlife over the past two years.

The disclosure came from Forest Minister Javed Ahmed Rana, who provided a written response during an assembly session. The fatalities were evenly split between the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, with 16 deaths reported each year.

Additionally, injuries were widespread, affecting 124 people in 2023-24 and 145 in 2024-25. Responding to the brutal reality of these conflicts, the government dispensed compensation of Rs 121.02 lakh in 2023-24 and Rs 155.08 lakh in 2024-25 to victims and their families.

(With inputs from agencies.)