India, July 10 -- Wild boars, once thought to have vanished from Kashmir, are returning to farms, orchards and towns as winters grow milder.

Farmers across the Valley report damage to paddy nurseries, pea fields, potato crops and young apple trees.

Researchers and wildlife officials link the species' resurgence to warmer winters, reduced snowfall and longer breeding windows.

The return of wild boars is also raising conservation concerns in Dachigam National Park, home to the critically endangered hangul.

On an April morning, Abdul Hameed walked to his pea field in Pattan, north Kashmir, and found the rows he had sown days earlier destroyed. The soil was churned into mounds, hoof marks cut across the field and freshly planted seeds lay...