While drones, nets, electric fences, and cages are among the devices being used by the Uttar Pradesh government to catch a pack of wolves on the prowl, conversationist and scientist Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala said that there is a far easier option to stop the wolf attacks.
Since March 18, 10 people have died and 34 injured in villages in Bahraich due to wolf attacks. The forest department has launched 'Operation Bhediya' to nab the creatures, and have succeeded in trapping four of them.
“The simplest solution is to tie two to three goats outside every village on a daily basis. The wolf or wolves which are on the hunt need food, and once they get it, they will not attack humans,” Jhala said.
Jhala, who has studied wolves for the past 30 years, said the animal gets far less attention because they were not as ‘charismatic’ as tigers, leopards, bears or other creatures.
Wolves rarely come into conflict with humans unlike bears, leopards and tigers. They prey on livestock animals.
On August 29, a wolf was captured in a cage by the state’s forest department. This itself is unusual, said Jhala, as it means that it must have been famished.
He speaks from experience, as the first wolf he captured took two years.
While the government is still unclear whether it is a lone wolf or a pack that is behind the attacks, Jhala said that when wolves hunt in packs, they “eviscerate” (rip open the belly) the victim. Lone wolves bite to bring down their preys. So, the chances of the attacker being a lone wolf were greater.
One of Jhala’s statements that these wolves could be a hybrid between Indian wolves and free-ranging dogs, is also being repeatedly quoted as the truth. However, he said that this could be determined only by a DNA test.
On Monday, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting to assess the situation and said that the animals should be shot dead as a last resort if the attacks did not stop. He has also ordered patrolling be increased and where necessary, more personnel be put on the ground.