Bahraich in fear of wolf… Why are people not able to learn to live with this wild animal?

'Wolves don't go near humans'

Arora started a photo series called 'The Highway Wolves' on social media, in which he 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 his teeth with an acacia thorn. Arora believes that such pictures will help people understand wolves better. He says, 'I want people to understand that the Indian wolf is as important as a tiger, lion, elephant or rhino. Wildlife lovers can 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 hybrid 'wolf-dogs', which are born from the mating of wolves and stray dogs, for wolf attacks. 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 lovingly with wolves and even worship them. Shepherds of the Deccan plateau believe that wolves protect their flocks from diseases as they carry their sick animals. They also cremate wolves when they die, as they believe wolves help prevent epidemics. Other shepherd communities such as Dhangars also consider wolves lucky, says Saugat Sadhukhan, an ecologist from Pune.

Why do people consider wolves villains?

The poor image of the wolf is a major obstacle to wildlife conservation efforts. “In our childhood stories, cartoons and folklore, the wolf is shown as a villain,” says Sadhukhan. Animal conservation efforts require public funding, so public opinion matters. One of the reasons the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has the panda is that it looks so cute. This helps raise funds for conservation. Unfortunately, raising funds for wolves is harder. 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 declined to 3,100, making them as endangered as tigers. But efforts are being made in some states to save the species from extinction. A new census of wolves conducted by the forest department of Gujarat last month showed that their numbers have 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 Nilgai (blue bulls), which cause a lot of damage to crops. If any carnivorous animal can stop them, it is wolves. The wolves born in the zoo will get plenty of prey in the form of wild rabbits, baby Nilgai and blackbucks, etc.”
Mihir Godbole, founder of The Grasslands Trust, which has been dedicated to the conservation of wolves in Pune district for the past decade, also believes the same. “One of our studies has shown that wolves in Pune district are no longer attacking cattle as they used to. Their food preferences have changed. About 50% of their diet is poultry feces and carcasses of cattle. This makes them quite timid towards humans, which is completely different from the situation happening in UP right now,” says Godbole.

Why do wolves need humans?

“The health of our pastures and the livelihood of herders depend on the conservation of wolves. The Indian wolf is a key link in the evolution from the ancient wolf to the dog. If we lose the Indian wolf, we will lose a part of evolutionary history,” says Godbole. Most of India’s wolf population lives outside protected areas, but the Mahudur Wolf Sanctuary, established in 1976 in Jharkhand, remains the country’s only dedicated wolf sanctuary. “Our efforts to create protected areas have increased the wolf population from 50 to 70 in the last five years. Negative perceptions about the animal have also decreased,” says Kumar Ashish, deputy director of the Palamau Tiger Reserve.

'…now they know the wolf is not the enemy'

A non-profit in West Bengal is trying simple ways to reduce human-animal conflict. One of them is putting up brightly coloured flags around the perimeter of pastures to distract carnivorous animals, says Saptarshi Mukherjee, president of the Durgapur-based non-profit Wildlife Information and Nature Guides Society (WINGS). “We have got a 40% success rate in 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 got snatched, now regularly inform us about their movement and conflict sites without attacking them. And we don’t even need to go to these villages. They understand the importance of wolves eating the pests that destroy crops.”