Srinagar, Oct 31: Farmers from different areas of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday expressed serious concern as wild bears have damaged apple orchards.
Farmers said that over the past many years the wild bears have been making their way to apple orchards and have damaged branches of apple trees adding to their woes.
Manzoor Ahmad, a resident of Kalantra Kreeri said he recently went to his apple orchard where he found that nearly a dozen apple trees were damaged overnight by the wild bear.
“All the trees were young and were fruit bearing. The bear damaged some 10 boxes of apple at a stage when the fruits were ripened. We have been facing the losses over the years,” he said.
Farmers from other areas of Baramulla district said that wild bears have damaged apple orchards at Singhpora Pattan, Kanispora, Juhama, Chandoosa, Sangri and Rafiabad.
Ghulam Hassan, a farmer from Chandoosa said this year the apple production has already declined by 50 percent and they are not bearing further damage to the trees and fruit.
“Over the years the early snowfall in autumn has already caused damage to the apple trees. Every year we are worried either by damage to the apple trees by snowfall or by the attacks by the wild animals,” he said.
The resident said the population of wild bears is increasing and it is a daunting task to shoo them away as they turn violent when someone chases them. Hassan demanded that the wildlife authorities should take immediate measures.
“The wild bears usually attack the apple during night hours. We restrain ourselves now visiting the orchards during evening hours, as fear of wild animals has loomed large,” he said.
The farmers also appealed the Wild Life Department to install sirens or sound-producing equipment in the apple orchards so that the wild bears do not damage apple orchards.
Range Officer, Wild Life Department, Baramulla, Altaf Koul admitted the issue saying that one of the major problems in villages is that people don’t remove the damaged apple/waste from orchards which invites the black bears to the orchards.
“We have already installed cages at Kalantra and other places as a precautionary measure. In autumn months as fruits ripen the bears move to orchards. Sometime before we had suggested farmers to dig pits in the orchards so that they put the orchard waste in it but they did not do that,” he said.
He said they have been getting regular distressed calls from the farmers and the Wild Life Department has also deputed some employees and installed cages there.
“There is no doubt that people face losses in orchards. On the other side people should not allow grasses and bushes to grow in orchards. Even leopards give birth in orchards. People should also cooperate with the department,” he said.
The department is also facing manpower shortage due to which they cannot reach to every place.
