Union Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has assured that efforts will be made to provide relief to victims of attacks by wild animals. Referring to reports of over 500 people being injured by bears in Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Natarajan suggested that the Government set aside a fund aimed at rehabilitation and medical treatment of animal-human conflict victims. Addressing the 21st International Conference on Bear Research and Management in New Delhi on Monday, the Minister stressed that primary response teams need to swing into action more readily to avert such conflicts.

On the occasion, Ms Natarajan released a national plan for conservation and welfare of bears across the country. The plan summarizes the threats faced by bears and outlines management actions to be undertaken by 26 bear range States. The Minister mentioned that the endangered species of bear have not received much attention in terms of conservation and relief. Ms Natarajan called for stepping up conservation efforts to protect the bear which, she said is an integral part of Indian culture.

Later talking to the media, the Minister informed that she will write to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir seeking strict action against people involved in a recent incident where they allegedly tried to set a bear afire.

Our correspondent reports, around 400 individuals, including bear experts and field researchers from 35 countries are participating in the 5-day conference. The conference, focusing on all the eight bear species found across the globe, is being held for the first time in India.