A wolf captured in Balechi on August 29.
A team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, went to the affected Balich area to closely monitor the wolf patterns and behavior. However, WII experts are convinced that the animal that killed the human was probably a cross between a dog and a wolf.
Three weeks after International Wolf Day was celebrated on August 13, the carnivore has become “the most hated predator” in the humble Baraich district of northeastern Uttar Pradesh. At least six people have been killed by wolves in Balechi as terror continues to grip the area.
A team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, went to the affected areas on Tuesday to closely monitor the wolf patterns and behavior. However, WII experts are convinced that the animal that killed the human was probably a cross between a dog and a wolf.
“If our predictions (based on previous studies) are very close, then this new species of wolf could be even more dangerous,” said Bilal Ahmad, a senior scientist at WII.
The senior scientist is concerned that “wolf hybrids may pose a further threat to the already declining wolf population in Peninsular India”.
Bilal Ahmed added that the rapidly shrinking prey base of wolves may be a potential reason why they attack humans, especially children, who are easy prey. Carnivores rely on small animals such as goats for food. In addition, wolves usually do not leave their 20-25 square kilometer territory, preferring to hunt within this area. This indicates possible human-animal conflict in the affected areas.
Wolves are an endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The research paper mentions the estimated number of wolves in the country. The researchers used scientific methods to arrive at these numbers.
The research paper suggests that UP may have around 61 wolves occupying 7,659 square kilometers of habitat. Madhya Pradesh is estimated to have the highest number of wolves (722), followed by Rajasthan (532), Gujarat (494) and Maharashtra (396).
A senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) official currently posted in Uttarakhand said wolves have been a problem in some parts of the state.
“Back in mid-1990, when I was posted as divisional forest officer in Pratapgarh, I was tasked with eradicating man-eating wolves,” he said, requesting anonymity. The official said that apart from Baraich, human-wolf conflicts also occurred in Pratapgarh, Unnao, Fatehpur and La Bareilly districts, resulting in many deaths.
(With inputs from Sunil Navprabhat)
