Winter without Sleep: Kashmir’s Black Bears in a Warming World

Winter without Sleep: Kashmir’s Black Bears in a Warming World

Kashif Farooq Bhat

Winters in Kashmir are known to be extreme. It is a time when the region is carpeted in thick snow, and people place the kangri (a portable heater) inside their pherans (traditional Kashmiri cloaks) to stay warm. Hanguls, Kashmir’s endemic deer, migrate to lower elevations of the Dachigam National Park to avoid the harsh weather and scarcity of food.

Even the Asiatic black bears of Kashmir have their own ways of escaping the frigidity. They go into hibernation. As a Kashmiri living along the fringes of the Dachigam National Park, I grew up seeing black bears disappear during the snow-covered months as they entered hibernation, and reappear from their dens as spring set in. However, all that is changing now, and so is the fate of Kashmir’s vulnerable black bears.

Last year, not only did some of the black bears in Dachigam remain active throughout December, but Srinagar city also had an unexpected visitor. In late November, a sub-adult bear shocked residents with its sudden appearances in the city. Parents prevented their children from staying out after dusk, while businesses were unable to open their shops early in the morning in parts of the city where the bear had been spotted. A sense of fear prevailed throughout Srinagar as the black bear roamed its alleys and corners.

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For 11 days, the Wildlife Department of Kashmir sent six rescue teams to scan the city for signs of the bear. Ultimately, it was captured successfully near Nigeen Lake.

Interestingly, despite being in a busy city, the bear remained mostly elusive, and no attacks on humans were reported. It clearly shows that these animals avoid confrontation with humans whenever possible. The bear was probably confused upon landing up in unfamiliar territory and more terrified of humans than humans were of the bear. But why did it leave the safe confines of its natural habitat and enter the human-dominated landscape?

Possibly, the opportunistic omnivore was drawn to the availability of food in Srinagar, where unmanaged, massive garbage heaps were strewn across parts of the city. During winter, as the animal was not hibernating, it needed food sources to sustain itself. Natural food becomes limited during the cold season. So, the bear possibly discovered that garbage in the city could help satisfy its hunger.

The previous winter of 2024-25 also saw black bears wandering through Dachigam in December and January instead of hibernating. Even snowfall did not deter them. They appeared to have forgotten to hibernate.

Such changes in the behavior of Kashmir’s black bears are a matter of grave concern as they create ideal ground for human-bear conflict. People who are used to living without black bears in winter now have to stay on alert year-round to avoid bear attacks. The bears, too, are more at the mercy of humans now as they become dependent on human-sourced food in winter, forcing them to enter human-dominated habitats.

All that brings us to the question: why are Asiatic black bears of Kashmir not hibernating in winter? For that, we need to look at the bears of Dachigam.

Kashmir’s Dachigam National Park, just around 20 km away from Srinagar, is one of the last strongholds of the species in Kashmir. It has one of the densest populations of this species in Asia.

In the past, Asiatic black bears in Dachigam would enter hibernation from late November to early December and would only appear in spring (March-April). Their hibernation is triggered by a combination of factors, including lower temperatures, snowfall, and declining food sources.

 Hibernation is nature’s way of ensuring these animals survive the harshest time of the year. During hibernation, these bears retreat to shelters such as dens, caves, and tree hollows, where they remain until conditions become favorable in spring. Male bears usually emerge from hibernation before females.

However, the current changes in hibernation duration are likely due to a changing climate and the availability of food sources resulting from increased human presence.

Research has shown that over the past four decades, from 1980 to 2020, Kashmir has experienced a 2°C rise in temperature. Snowfall in Dachigam now comes late. In my childhood, snow would fall as early as December, and it would be much deeper than it is today. This winter, we received the first snowfall in Srinagar as late as January 24, and it was only about an inch thick, compared to the several feet deep in the past.

It could be one of the factors influencing the black bears to avoid hibernation.  Also, food availability for black bears has increased around the Dachigam National Park, as human settlements and agricultural lands have encroached into what were previously wildlife habitats. So, while their natural food sources have declined, these opportunistic omnivores are now attracted to the waste dumped around Srinagar and also the sprawling fruit orchards around Dachigam. Instead of natural food, human-produced food and waste are now feeding these animals in winter.

The result of these changes is the presence of black bears year-round. As the ecosystem’s apex predators, this change is major and is bound to have a negative effect on the ecosystem’s balance.

Of course, the risk of bears attacking humans increases as they remain active in winter. In Kashmir, black bears are already known to be responsible for the majority of human fatalities (around 80% according to one study) caused by wild animals. Their lack of hibernation is expected to only exacerbate such conflicts.

Along with the Asiatic black bears, their habitat is also reeling under threats from climate change and human-induced disturbances. A lack of snow has a long-term negative effect on the region’s water cycle. I have heard my parents talk about how the streams flowing through Dachigam have gradually lost volume. Vegetation growth is bound to be affected by this decreased water availability, and so will the life cycles of animals in this changing environment.

Climate change and habitat loss are presently the biggest threats to species worldwide. The wildlife of Kashmir is no exception. In addition, Kashmir’s wildlife often receives little conservation attention and suffers in silence. If we do not act quickly, we will lose our biodiversity and, with it, our hopes of survival. Asiatic black bears’ changing behavior should be treated as an urgent appeal from the natural world that we need to change our ways that harm our environment and save our ecosystems before it is too late.

Acknowledgements

I am thankful to Dr. OishimayaSen Nag for guiding me through this article.

Kashif Farooq Bhat is a fourth-generation wildlife conservationist from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, deeply rooted in a family legacy of service to nature. Inspired by this heritage, Kashif pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and later earned a Master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Aligarh Muslim University. He has been actively engaged in ecological research, with a strong focus on species conservation. His recent work includes studies on the feeding ecology and abundance of meso-carnivores in Dachigam, as well as ongoing research on the impacts of climate change on Asiatic black bears. Currently, he leads the Mud on Boots project under the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, where he works closely with local communities, especially in raising awareness about the conservation of the critically endangered Hangul. Alongside fieldwork, Kashif contributes to conservation advocacy through writing and wildlife photography, using both words and images to highlight the urgent need to protect India’s natural heritage. Kashif is the correspondent of Mahabahu too.

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