Seasonal Occurrence and Human Conflict Involving Wild Boar (Sus scrofa cristatus) Across Nine Districts of the Kashmir Valley, 2021–2026

Abstract

The Indian wild boar (Sus scrofa cristatus), introduced to Kashmir’s Dachigam region in the mid-nineteenth century and declared locally extinct by 1984, was rediscovered in Dachigam National Park in 2013 and has since been documented expanding across the Kashmir Valley. This study compiles 22 dated, geolocated photographic and video records of wild boar occurrence and impact across nine districts of the Kashmir Valley such as Shopian, Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag, and Bandipora, spanning 2021 to 2026, combining original field photography collected by the authors in Shopian district with source-attributed secondary material compiled from local contacts, social media, and published news reports. Records span five categories: live sightings, agricultural trampling damage, farmer-installed deterrent measures, human-conflict incidents, and one instance of an injured or deceased animal. The compiled records show a pronounced seasonal skew, concentrated in spring and, to a lesser extent, autumn and winter, with no records during summer. We interpret this pattern primarily as a detectability effect linked to seasonal shifts in diel activity and foraging location, whereby wild boar become more nocturnal and forest-interior-foraging when natural food is abundant in summer, and more diurnal and human-adjacent when food is scarce during winter and spring green-up, consistent with seasonal activity patterns reported elsewhere in the Himalayan region and in the broader international literature. This interpretation is further supported by India Meteorological Department data and independent climate reporting showing a sustained sequence of warmer- and drier-than-normal Kashmir winters across the study period, including a record winter precipitation deficit in 2025–26. District-level analysis indicates that reported occurrence and conflict extend well beyond the historically documented Dachigam–Kajinag corridor into peri-urban residential areas, public parks, apple orchards, and paddy-growing districts, with Baramulla and Srinagar districts accounting for the largest number of documented records. As the dataset was compiled opportunistically rather than through standardized, effort-controlled survey methodology, it does not permit calculation of population density, growth rate, or a formal statistical trend; findings are therefore presented descriptively. We identify systematic camera-trap monitoring, genetic-origin analysis, and structured seasonal-activity and farmer-conflict surveys as priority next steps toward a fully quantified regional assessment of wild boar occurrence in Kashmir.