Srinagar, March 15 -- It starts with a scream. A child, a farmer, a woman gathering firewood. Somewhere on the edge of the forest, in a village where people live close to the wild. A black bear, a leopard. Someone doesn't make it home.

In Kashmir, this is not a rare event. It happens often enough that people have learned to live with fear. Parents tell their kids to be home before dark. Farmers move in groups, always looking over their shoulders. A rustling in the leaves means something. A wrong turn in the orchard could be the last.

The numbers tell a story. Between 2006 and now, 264 people have died this way. 3,164 have been injured. Some mauled, some left with scars they will carry forever. These numbers, recorded by the wildlife dep...