In Kargil, Local Youth Are Protecting Homes From Himalayan Brown Bears With Smart Solutions

When Mohammed Mehrajuddin (35) was younger, try as he did to love the brown bears he would read about in his storybooks, his community’s fearful mindset towards them made it difficult. He recalls his parents’ advice to always tread cautiously if he ever heard a loud sound in the kitchen. “Many times, people in the community would light a fire to scare the bears away,” he recalls.

To this end, a young Mehrajuddin would tiptoe around the valley, always fearful of an encounter. For years, that was what the Himalayan brown bear meant to him — fear, caution, and the possibility of danger lurking just beyond the door. Life has come full circle, as Mehrajuddin now identifies as a ‘bear brother’, part of a community-led effort to reduce conflict between people and wildlife.

Advertisment

Add The Better India As A Trusted Source

From fear to responsibility

Kargil, in Ladakh, is a landscape of extremes. Winters plunge the region to temperature as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. Summers are short and intense. In this rugged terrain, the Himalayan brown bear has lived for centuries. But in recent years, encounters between people and bears have become more frequent.

As roads expanded, settlements grew, and garbage accumulated, bears found easy access to food. Before winter, they enter an intense feeding phase, eating constantly to build fat reserves for hibernation. Unsecured rations, livestock sheds, poultry coops became attractive.

In 2021 alone, over 80 bear-related conflict incidents were recorded across parts of Kargil. Livestock were lost. Shops were damaged. Fear deepened.

“The people had no idea how to deal with such a large animal,” says Preet Sharma, who works on species conservation in the Western Himalayas. “There was confusion about whom to call or what to do.”

That confusion often turned into panic.

The bear brothers of Kargil

In 2022, a new idea began taking shape in Kargil; locals from different professions — daily wage labourers, shopkeepers, working professionals — came together to form a volunteer group now known as the Bear Brothers. Mehrajuddin was one of them.

They were trained by WWF-India to patrol villages, monitor bear movement, respond to emergency calls, and, most importantly, calm frightened residents during encounters.

“The bears don’t come to harm us,” Mehrajuddin says. “They are only looking for food. Once you understand that, you stop reacting with anger.”

The shift from fear to understanding has been the programme’s biggest success.

The Himalayan brown bears (known as drenmoin the local language) never intended to lock horns with the village people, Preet reasons. They were simply scouring for food; the mounds of garbage outside the villages proved to be good feeding grounds. But it still did not satisfy the animals’ hyperphagia, a pre-hibernation, intense feeding state that bears face in late summer or autumn, where they consume up to 100 pounds of food daily to build fat reserves. 

And so, the bears would head to the homes to search for additional food resources. 

Mohammed Kazim, project officer, Western Himalayas Conservation Landscape, WWF-India, recalls an instance where the bears ransacked a local’s chicken shop, leaving the owner distraught. 

This is where the WWF-India programme comes in, Kazim shares. 

One of the programme’s most efficient solutions has been the camera traps and ANIDERS (Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System) installed along entry points and village edges. Motion sensors trigger alerts when large animals cross predefined boundaries near livestock pens or village edges. High-intensity lights and loud sounds then safely deter animals without causing harm.

These systems were even installed in the kabristans(graveyards) after bears were detected there.

A conservation effort enabling coexistence

Shy and elusive are how most would describe the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus). This despite their daunting figure — males can reach a height of 2.2 metres and weigh up to 400 kg. The animal is protected under Schedule 1A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972; killing or capturing one is punishable by law. But slow breeding has left an estimated 130-220 individuals surviving across the Himalayas and Trans-Himalayan ranges of India and Pakistan. 

The WWF-India programme blends scientific research on bear movement with traditional ecological knowledge to create conservation strategies rooted in local culture. By integrating community beliefs and lived experiences with modern science, the initiative fosters mutual respect between people and the Himalayan brown bear. Rather than merely reducing human–wildlife conflict, it aims to rebuild coexistence. 

As Preet explains, “Earlier, communities had very little interaction with brown bears and lacked awareness about compensation rules, safety measures, or even who to contact if they spotted a bear nearby. There was confusion about who could respond, assist, or help ease negative encounters.” Because brown bears are quick learners and the nature of conflict is dynamic, mitigation requires constant adaptation. 

He continues, “To address this gap, the Bear Brothers group was formed. People from across professions, including working professionals and daily wage labourers, are a part of it, united by a shared commitment to conserving brown bears.” 

Mohammed Umar (30) is one of the earliest members of the Bear Brothers and plays a key role in community outreach. He has trained villagers to operate ANIDERS, conducted interviews to understand local perceptions of brown bears and how communities cope with losses, and assists families in filing compensation claims. His commitment to conservation stems from a personal encounter. He shares, “In 2022, one night, while studying by my window, I saw a bear near our poultry pen. I went down to chase it, but it disappeared. As I walked back, it suddenly stood in front of me. We both got scared and ran in opposite directions. That’s when I realised they are just searching for food in a disturbed habitat, nothing more.” Since then, he has been a strong advocate for coexistence and brown bear conservation.

One of the programme’s tried-and-tested measures is predator-proof corrals. These are strong animal sheds built to keep bears and other wild animals away from livestock, especially at night. 

Preet shares, “Earlier, predator-proof corrals had been built to protect livestock from snow leopards and wolves. However, brown bears proved stronger and more persistent. We realised the old structures were not enough. So we redesigned them.”

New corrals are reinforced with iron frames and fully cemented walls, high enough that a bear cannot climb or break through. For families who depend on a few animals for income, this protection is critical.

The programme also trained local youth as first responders and nature guides, combining scientific monitoring with traditional knowledge of the land.

Alongside this, ecological research methods, including camera trapping, movement monitoring, and habitat mapping, helped build a deeper understanding of bear behaviour and landscape use. 

Sharing common ground

Mohammed Muzammil (29) is busy these days. In a few weeks from now, his home will be filled with tourists who’ve come to see the Himalayan brown bear. He recalls an incident a year ago, when he found a mother bear and her cub in his home. 

This wasn’t the first time Muzammil had come face-to-face with the animal. Such encounters had happened before. Navigating each experience is now easier for him because of the techniques he has learnt to ensure there is no harm done to the animals, and that people remain safe too. Muzammil says there are many other ways in which WWF-India’s interventions are helping. 

Since the bears seem to like Muzammil’s home region, the Holiyal village in Mushkow valley (a prime habitat of the brown bear), WWF-India helped him turn this into a tourism opportunity by helping him convert his home into a homestay. “Now tourists come here to see the brown bear,” he shares. The sighting season will commence in April and last until May (the post-hibernation period). 

Of course, the bears moving to these altitudes also means more human-wildlife conflict. Mehrajuddin recalls an incident from 2024, when a brown bear arrived at a pond about five kilometres from his house, drawn by a group of puppies there. “The bear had come to eat them, and the team rushed to the spot to manage the situation. They placed a staircase to help the bear escape safely. It eventually left, though four puppies had been killed.”

Sometimes it’s puppies, other times, it's livestock.  

Sharing about the compensation model, Preet says, “Compensation is not just about financial reimbursement; it is about building trust and strengthening coexistence. In landscapes like Kargil, timely support makes a significant difference for families living close to wildlife. While the Wildlife Department works diligently within existing frameworks, practical challenges such as harsh weather, remote access, and procedural awareness amongst affected people can influence timelines. Additionally, certain losses, particularly poultry and property damage, are not covered under current provisions. Our effort is to work collaboratively to strengthen awareness, streamline processes, and complement existing systems so that communities feel supported.” 

But compensation can only do so much. A change in mindset too is evident in the region. 

Children who once grew up hearing warnings now see their fathers patrol to protect both people and bears. Villages that once lit fires in panic now receive alerts and respond calmly. Homes once damaged by wildlife are being fortified. And in places like Holiyal, bears are drawing visitors. In Kargil, the sound of a clattering vessel no longer sends everyone running. Instead, it triggers preparedness among the community that has learnt, slowly and deliberately, how to share its mountains. Not by driving the bears away. But by making space for them.

All pictures courtesy WWF-India

Sources

'Projected climate change threatens Himalayan brown bear habitat more than human land use', Published in Animal Conservation in August 2021. 

'Between Boulders And Borders: The Brown Bears Of Kargil': by Preet Sharma, Published in December 2025.

'Study identifies prime brown bear habitats beyond protected areas': by Sneha Mahale, Published on 9 January 2026.