Bahraich in fear of wolf… Why can’t people learn to live with this wild animal?

New Delhi: In India, wolves are often depicted as dangerous predators in fairy tales and films, which has created fear among people. Wolf attacks on children in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh have further increased this fear. Due to this, the government has started ‘Operation Bhediya’ and has given orders to shoot wolves on sight. But not everyone is against this endangered species. Some people worry that due to this fear, wolves may become extinct in India. Wildlife photographer Vineet Arora considers the Indian gray wolf as his/her favorite animal. In 2014, he/she saw a wolf near a lake in Umred, Nagpur, whose head was stuck in a plastic jar. Arora followed the wolf for two days and saw how it survived by drinking water from the holes in the jar. With the help of an NGO, Arora and his/her team released the wolf from the jar and released it in the forest. Arora became attached to wolves since this incident. he/she started following packs of wolves and learning about their behavior and lifestyle.

‘Wolves don’t go near humans’

Arora started a photo series called ‘The Highway Wolves’ on social media, in which he/she shared pictures of a pack of wolves eating garbage near Khawasa village on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In one picture, a wolf was seen cleaning its teeth with an acacia thorn. Arora believes that such pictures will help people understand wolves better. he/she says, ‘I want people to understand that the Indian wolf is as important as the tiger, lion, elephant or rhinoceros. Wildlife lovers may see 100 tigers in five years, but they will not see a single wolf. Wolves are intelligent, they do not reveal themselves easily. Hunting them is a well-thought-out strategy. Purebred wolves do not go near humans.’

‘Some communities consider wolves lucky’

Some wildlife experts blame the wolf attacks on hybrid ‘wolf-dogs’, which are produced by mating wolves and stray dogs. This hybrid species is a mystery to researchers as they do not have enough genetic information about them. However, there are some communities that live with wolves lovingly and even worship them. Shepherds of the Deccan plateau believe that wolves protect their flocks from diseases as they carry away their sick animals. They also cremate wolves when they die, as they believe wolves help prevent epidemics. Other pastoral communities like Dhangars also consider wolves lucky, says Saugat Sadhukhan, an ecologist from Pune.

Why do people consider wolves as villains?

The poor image of the wolf is a major obstacle to wildlife conservation efforts. “Our childhood stories, cartoons and folk songs portray the wolf as a villain,” says Sadhukhan. Animal conservation efforts require public money, so public opinion matters. One of the reasons the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has a panda is that it looks so cute. This helps raise funds for conservation. Unfortunately, it is harder to get funds for wolves. The number of wolves in India is declining rapidly. According to a 2021 national study by scientist and conservationist YV Jhala, the population of adult Indian wolves has come down to 3,100, making them as endangered as tigers. But in some states, efforts are being made to save the species from extinction. Last month, a new census of wolves conducted by the forest department of Gujarat showed that their numbers had increased from 150 to 222 in 2023.

How to use wolves correctly?

Nityanand Shrivastava, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Gujarat, says, “Farmers here are worried about the growing population of nilgais (blue bulls), which cause a lot of damage to crops. If any carnivore can stop them, it is wolves. In the wild, wolves born in the zoo will have ample prey in the form of wild rabbits, baby nilgais and blackbucks, etc.”
Mihir Godbole, founder of The Grasslands Trust, which has been dedicated to wolf conservation in Pune district for the past decade, also feels the same. Godbole says, “One of our studies has shown that wolves in Pune district are no longer attacking cattle as they used to do earlier. Their food preferences have changed. About 50% of their diet is poultry waste and cattle carcasses. This makes them quite timid towards humans, which is in contrast to what is happening in UP at the moment.”

Why do wolves need humans?

“The health of our grasslands and the livelihood of herders depend on wolf conservation. The Indian wolf is a key link in the evolution of the old-time wolf to the dog. If we lose the Indian wolf, we lose a part of evolutionary history,” says Godbole. Most of India’s wolf population lives outside protected areas, but the Mahudunder Wolf Sanctuary in Jharkhand, established in 1976, remains the country’s only dedicated wolf sanctuary. “Our efforts to create a safe space have increased the wolf population from 50 to 70 in the last five years. The negative perception of the animal has also reduced,” says Kumar Ashish, deputy director of Palamau Tiger Reserve.

‘…they now know that the wolf is not the enemy’

A non-profit in West Bengal is trying simple methods to reduce human-animal conflict. One of them is putting up brightly coloured flags around the perimeter of grazing areas to distract carnivorous animals, says Saptarshi Mukherjee, president of the Durgapur-based non-profit Wildlife Information and Nature Guides Society (WINGS). “We have had a 40% success rate with this technique. And we have more ideas that won’t harm anyone,” says Mukherjee. “The same villagers who used to blame wolves every time their goats or chickens were snatched, now regularly inform us about their movement and conflict spots without attacking them. And we don’t even have to visit these villages. They understand the importance of wolves eating crop-destroying pests. They now know that the wolf is not the enemy,” says Mukherjee.