Wolves have revenge tendency, unlike lions and leopards: Experts
Wolves in Bahraich have prompted state intervention due to their unusual behavior, likely caused by habitat disturbance. Experts stress the need for proper tactics and local cooperation.
The encounter of Bahraich with the wolves is not usual and as a result the state machinery and different stakeholders have got involved in relief and capture operations.
Bahraich divisional officer Ajit Singh said that lions and leopards do not have a tendency to take revenge, but wolves do. If the habitat of wolves is disturbed or a bid is made to capture/kill or domesticate its cub, they retaliate by hunting down humans.
Being highly intelligent the pack leaders are the male parent and the female parent. If there is a pack of six wolves, only the parents hunt. So, the killing won’t end until the attacking couple is identified. He said it might be possible that the three wolves captured till Wednesday were not the ones attacking.
It is also being opined that rain water filled their caves and the wolves came out in search of food, experts opined.
“Behavioural change can take place in animals due to an incident or stress. It requires further probe. Wolves usually prey on small animals like rabbits, monkeys. It is a community animal so it gathers food and eats,” said a senior forest official.
Former divisional forest officer (DFO) Katarnighat and executive consultant at Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Gyan Prakash Singh said that the current attacks could also be the reason for mistakes made in the past. He said that last year, two wolves were captured from the Mahsi Tehsil area and later released in Chakiya forest range of Bahraich. So it might be possible that somehow they have returned and are attacking the area, Singh said.
His Bahraich counterpart confirmed the development.
Recalling the history of wolf attacks in the state, Gyan Prakash Singh said that the terror of wolves was at its peak when wolves had killed about 76 children within 4-5 months near Peeli Nadi area in Jaunpur and its adjacent areas. He said during the attacks, a detailed investigation of wolf behaviour and attacking pattern was undertaken.
Wolves rarely attack the same village from where they lift a child. Besides, they move quietly within a radius of about 2 to 10 km in search of new hunting areas. Hence, deployment of teams in the same area does not yield desired results as they commonly never return to the area.
He also recalled the Balrampur wolf attack incident wherein wolves killed about 10 children in 2003. Singh said without proper tactics, identification and co-operation of local people, it is very difficult to contain wolf menace.
