With cases of bears straying out of their habitat and attacking people rising, mostly in the outlying areas close to forests, wildlife officials have started a pilot project of putting GPS collars around the necks of Himalayan black bears in a bid to study their movement and behavioural pattern. Officials said they had chosen three bears, a male, a female and a cub, for the project and their study would be helpful in drawing a strategy for their conservation as well as efforts to minimise the incidents of man-animal conflict. The project has been undertaken in the Dachigam National Park in Srinagar and spread across over 140 sq km. It is not only home to endangered bears but also hanguls, a rare breed of deers. There are around 300 bears in the region. Officials said human habitat had encroached upon animal habitat over the years with the rising population and things were especially bad in regions close to the Line of Control. Troops movement in forests and division of animal habitat by the border have affected the animal life. Attacks on people by bears are common in Kashmir and villagers often unite to attack bears.