Human-Wildlife Conflict in Uttarakhand | 12 Apr 2024

Why in News?

According to the sources, Uttarakhand’s Nainital and Pauri districts' remote villages are facing migration due to increasing human-wildlife conflict and poor connectivity in rural areas, which leads to a fluctuating health graph.

Key Points

• Over the past decade, 264 individuals lost their lives to large felines in Uttarakhand, with leopards being responsible for 203 deaths and tigers for 61.
• These wildlife incidents have caused significant disruptions in the affected areas, leading to the closure of schools and triggering protests in villages such as Sawaldeh, Patrani, Dhela, and Pauri.
  • The state government established the country’s first human-wildlife conflict-mitigating cell, allocated special funds to compensate affected families, and introduced a helpline number. However, the state of affairs is still unstable.
• Wildlife attacks have influenced electoral events in the area. In Tehri in 2022, locals refused to participate in assembly elections, mirroring actions taken during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Pauri.