Climate, humans responsible for bears not going into hibernation

The recent incidents of bear attacks in Pauri, Tehri, Joshimath and Chamoli district has shifted the attention from leopard-man conflict in the state. However, there was no casualties from these encounters. As the winter season approaches, the wildlife department has warned about more such incidents happening in near future.
Wild bears are exhibiting a new behaviour pattern by not going into hibernation during the winter period, something which has raised the possibilities of man-animal conflict.
DVS Khati, chief wildlife warden told TOI, “The behavioural change in bears where their hibernation activity has drastically reduced is not only confined to Uttarakhand, but is a global phenomenon. There are several reasons responsible for it; global warming is another reason. Due to construction of roads which has led to human intervention bears are unable to find adequate number of caves so they move out. Leftovers by people also attract their attention, as they enter human settlements for easy availability of food.”
“The shopkeepers of Ghangariya who had six months of food stock, left a lot of it in their shops when disaster stuck last year. The bears feasted on them for a long time by breaking down the shutters of these shops. Now, they have again started to go near those shops in search of easy food. That is why, pilgrims who were returning from Hemkund Sahib gurudwara in evening were attacked by bears. The garbage dumps which contain leftover food also attracts bears,” said a forest official.
Khati said that villagers have been alerted not to throw out leftovers in the open and venture out as the night falls to avoid bear attack.