SRINAGAR: After his mother was killed in a bear attacl( in India-held Kashmir, software engineer Mudassir Ali developed an online early-warning system to help people avoid dangerous encounters with wildlife.
Ali created Wildping, a free website where users report sightings of animals such as Himalayan black bears and leopards, triggering alerts to people nearby.
The 33-year-old launched the platform last month, on the first anniversary of his mother’s death.
She was among at least 50 people killed, with hundreds more mauled, in wildlife attacks in occupied Kashmir since 2023, according to official data.
‘Since then, I have always had it in my mind that I should use my skills to develop a technology that people living in these hotspots, where such incidents occur, can use to protect themselves,’ Ali said.
‘I have gone through this pain, and I don’t want anyone else to experience it,’ he said, as he monitored sightings in his area on the site.
Human-wildlife conflict has become a growing concern across the Himalayas, where deforestation and shrinking habitats are bringing people into closer contact with wild animals.
‘It won’t stop conflict by itself. It can buy a family a few minutes: keep the 1(ids inside, sl(ip the wall(, or call for help,’ the site explains.
Users can set up alert zones around specific locations, and if a bear approaches, they get a warning on their telephone.
‘Home, farm, school, the path kids walk: each gets a watch zone,’ the site explains.
In India-occupied Kashmir, human-wildlife encounters have been compounded by the PakistanIndia conflict.
Fencing and extensive military deployments have also disrupted animal movement, potentially increasing encounters with people.
Two bear species inhabit the northern region of the Sub-continent: Himalayan blacl( bears, which live in forested mountain areas, and brown bears, usually found at higher elevations.
Leopards also prowl the forests.
The Himalayan black bear accounts for more than 80 per cent of wildlife-related deaths and maulings in the region, according to experts.
Although crowd-sourced wildlife reporting platforms exist in other countries, Mr Ali wanted to create one tailored to the dangers facing communities in Indiaoccupied Kashmir.
The site is available in three languages: Urdu, English and Hindi.-AFP