Conflict Bear Translocation: Investigating Population Genetics and Fate of Bear Translocation in Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India

摘要: The Asiatic black bear population in Dachigam landscape, Jammu and Kashmir is well recognized as one of the highest density populations India. Increasing incidences bear-human interactions resultant retaliatory killings by locals have become a serious threat to survivorship bears landscape. Department Wildlife Protection has been translocating involved conflicts, henceforth ‘conflict bears’ from different sites landscape National Park flagship activity mitigate conflicts. We undertook this study investigate genetics fate translocation Park. identified 109 unique genotypes an area ca. 650 km2 observed under panmixia that showed sound genetic variability. Molecular tracking translocated revealed mostly (7 out 11 bears) returned their capture sites, possibly due homing instincts or habituation high quality food available agricultural croplands orchards, while only four remained after translocation. Results indicated success was most likely be season dependent during spring late autumn perhaps scarcity inside summer availability surplus resources. Thus, current management practices conflict bears, without taking into account spatio-temporal variability resources seemed ineffective mitigating conflicts on long-term basis. However, highlighted importance molecular understand movement patterns socio-biology tough terrains like