Human–wildlife conflict is a global issue driven by habitat loss and fragmentation, threatening both wildlife conservation and human well-being. In the Kashmir Himalaya, the Asiatic Black Bear and Leopard frequently attack people, posing serious socio-ecological challenges. This study assessed wildlife attacks on humans across four districts of South Kashmir (6,344 km²) from 2013 to 2022, documenting 268 incidents (249 Asiatic Black Bear attacks, 19 Leopard attacks), including 19 fatalities (13 by Asiatic Black Bear, 6 by Leopard). Using official records, structured questionnaire surveys, and Kernel Density Estimation, we examined spatial and temporal patterns of conflict. Pulwama district, centrally located within the Kashmir Valley, emerged as a key hotspot of wildlife attacks. A significant downward trend in incidents was observed over the 10-year period. Asiatic Black Bear attacks peaked in summer and autumn, whereas Leopard attacks were more frequent in spring and autumn, largely concentrated near forest-edge settlements. Despite the high incidence of attacks, the majority of respondents (67.9
The growing trend of emerging diseases at the wildlife-livestock-human interface underscores the need to establish integrated surveillance strategies within a One Health framework. In Europe, Integrated Wildlife Monitoring (IWM) tends to focus on specific pathogens, often with limited spatial and temporal scope. In this perspectives article, we address some of the most recent technological advances that could strengthen future IWM programs, with special emphasis on non-invasive approaches for monitoring wildlife populations and pathogen communities. We analyse the potential complementarity of different monitoring tools, such as camera traps, unmanned aerial vehicles, acoustic recording, and especially the detection of environmental nucleic acids (ENAD) using next-generation sequencing techniques, for the simultaneous characterization of pathogen and host communities. Despite the potential of molecular tools for large-scale monitoring, the lack of methodological standardization, the limited capacity to obtain quantitative information (e.g. population abundance or pathogen prevalence), and the difficulty of inferring the epidemiological significance of findings (e.g. whether molecular detection indicates viable pathogen) remain key challenges that limit their application. Finally, we argue that integrating these technologies with artificial intelligence (AI) represents a promising approach for managing large, heterogeneous datasets and developing proactive early warning systems. Moving toward the implementation of standardized and harmonized strategies that integrate ecological and epidemiological information should be a priority in European health surveillance frameworks. Strengthening coordination among surveillance systems by incorporating multi-source, AI-supported approaches will be key to improving early detection capacity and supporting evidence-based decision-making in addressing the global emergence of diseases.
The population of Japanese Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) has been increasing in Japan, leading to more human–bear conflicts, including crop damage and an increase in the lethal removal of bears. However, it remains difficult to verify whether captured bears were directly involved in such damage. This study focused on the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in guard hair, based on the premise that growing hair records dietary intake, to develop a method for reconstructing the dietary histories of captured individuals. Feeding experiments with captive Japanese black bears revealed that guard hair began to grow in June, elongated relatively consistently, ceased growing at the end of October, and did not grow during the winter denning period. New hair began to grow in June of the following year, whereas hair from the previous year was shed between July and September during molting. We then evaluated whether this temporal framework could be applied to wild individuals. By comparing temporal changes in the carbon isotope ratios of guard hair from GPS-tracked bears that used cornfields, we found that the timing of their use of cornfields, where maize, a C4 plant, was available, corresponded well with the changes in hair carbon isotope ratios. Bears that visited cornfields more frequently showed higher carbon isotope ratios in hair. These findings indicate that the hair growth processes observed in captive bears can be applied to wild bears, enabling reconstruction of their dietary histories.
Small carnivores, such as the Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul), play important ecological roles but remain poorly studied in many parts of their range, particularly in landscapes undergoing rapid human-induced change. We investigated Pallas's cat occupancy and activity patterns in Bogd Khan Mountain, north-central Mongolia, in relation to habitat features, camera-detectable potential prey activity, and anthropogenic disturbance. Camera traps were deployed from April to August over three years. Because detections were sparse and the survey was not specifically designed for Pallas's cats or their primary prey, we used occupancy-based framework and interpreted covariate relationships as tentative ecological associations. Mean predicted occupancy across site-year sampling units was 0.31 +/- 0.08 SE, and detection probability varied among years. The best-supported model included a positive association between occupancy and the relative abundance index of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), a camera-detectable, forest-associated potential prey species. However, squirrel relative abundance may indicate opportunistic prey, broader prey availability, or favorable forest microhabitat. Although forest cover was not supported as a key occupancy covariate, most detections occurred at forested sites, indicating that Pallas's cats occur within the heterogeneous forest-steppe landscape of the mountain. We detected no strong occupancy response to the anthropogenic disturbance covariates considered, including human activity, livestock activity, dog presence, and distance to urban areas. Activity records suggested moderate to high temporal overlap with squirrels, livestock, people, and free-ranging dogs. Our findings provide evidence of continued occurrence in a protected area facing increasing anthropogenic pressure and highlight the need for targeted monitoring.
Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) have often negative impacts on both wildlife conservation and human livelihoods, representing a highly relevant management challenge. The present commentary aims to assess the scientific coverage of HWC by the European Journal of Wildlife Research (EJWR) through a literature review of 93 studies published between 2005 and 2024. The results show an increasing trend in numbers of HWC publications during this period, reflecting a potential increasing interest in this topic from the early 21st century. In addition, this review reveals several coverage gaps on EJWR publications, with a general focus on conflict-related impacts instead of assessing human-human conflicts. Moreover, to date the journal has published a higher proportion of studies conducted in Europe (57.14
