Dehradun, January 23 (PTI) The escalating human-wildlife conflict in Uttarakhand has become one of the major factors driving migration from hilly regions, with residents forced to guard their family members
with firearms even during routine chores.
Former Army Subedar Mohan Singh, who returned to his ancestral village of Kanalgarh in Bageshwar district after retirement, described a harrowing existence.
"The terror of wild animals in our village is such that when one member of the family goes to the toilet at night, another stands guard outside with a gun," Singh, in a social media post shared by Congress leader Harish Rawat, said.
Expressing concern over the situation, Rawat said that he wonders how those who do not know how to handle a gun are coping with such a situation.
On the advice of the Rawat, Singh started farming in his village a decade ago, planted lemon and malta trees, and also bought cows for dairy farming. For some time, his life was happy, but in the last seven to eight years, the terror of leopards, wild boars, and bears has reached his village.
Singh said that one of his cows died recently after being injured in a leopard attack.
The story of Balbir Singh Bisht, who retired from his job in Dehradun in 2023, is no different.
In Chauran village of Pauri district, Bisht had renovated his ancestral house with the hope of settling there, but the menace of leopards, bears, wild boars, monkeys and langurs forced him to change his mind.
Bisht said, "What will we do by staying in the village?"
"The terror of leopards and bears, followed by the rampage of wild boars, monkeys, and langurs, has made life unbearable," he added.
A song describing these conditions is also becoming quite popular on social media. Its lyrics, referring to the terror of animals, say "Gaaon-Gali mai dar hai chhaya, fasal chaupat-sab hai teri maya" (Fear has spread in every village and street, crops are ruined-it's all your doing).
This song was reportedly written addressing Satpal Maharaj, the MLA from the Chaubattakhal area of Pauri district and a minister in the state government.
Human-wildlife conflict has been a serious problem in the state for a long time. People living near forests have often been victims of attacks by tigers and leopards, while wild boars, monkeys, and langurs have damaged their crops.
However, this problem has worsened in the last few years. In 2025, nearly 30 people died in Uttarakhand due to attacks by leopards, tigers, and bears.
Referring to the hardships faced by people living in the hilly regions, Rawat said that the terror of wild animals has increased three to four times since 2010, and this has led to increased difficulties, resulting in 7 to 10 per cent migration in the last 12 to 14 years.
The Rural Development and Migration Prevention Commission has also acknowledged that there has been some increase in migration cases in recent years due to the increasing menace of wild animals in populated areas.
The Commission's chairman, S S Negi, said that the main reason for migration from the state is the search for employment. However, he also admitted that "the terror of wild animals is also a reason for migration, and about 7 to 8 per cent of people have cited it as the reason for their migration."
State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that the government has ordered a study by experts on human-wildlife conflict in the state to find a permanent solution to this problem. PTI DPT APL
