“Clever wolves” developed skills to dodge human traps: Experts
When asked if wolves become man-eaters, Khan explained that wolves have occasionally been linked to child-lifting in rare cases, such as those in 2003 in Balrampur and adjoining districts, and in 1995-96 in Pratapgarh and nearby areas.
LUCKNOW: Amidst intensified search operations by 25 teams of forest officials, the two wolves remain elusive as, over time, they have learned how to stay away from cages, said an expert from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who is currently in Bahraich, where 10 people, including nine children, lost their lives in wolf attacks.
“Living around humans, wolves have learned to escape, which is evident from the current scenario. Despite over 500 people in 25 teams searching for them, they are still avoiding the cages. They are so smart that they won’t visit a place without a prey base or if they sense danger, and perhaps this is why they remain elusive,” said Shaheer Khan, WII scientist.
Khan, who has done a PhD on wolves and works in the field of animal ecology and conservation biology at the WII, said the situation is becoming trickier every day.
Explaining the difference between wolves and other wild animals, Khan said, “In the case of tigers or leopards, learning occurs only through their direct encounters with humans. However, with wolves, learning is passed from one generation to another, as they move in packs and learn from their elders.”
“They are surviving in human-dominated landscapes because of their own adaptability. How to live among humans and remain unnoticed is something they have learned, and since this operation began, they have likely learned a lot about cages and drone cameras too,” Khan added.
When asked if wolves become man-eaters, Khan explained that wolves have occasionally been linked to child-lifting in rare cases, such as those in 2003 in Balrampur and adjoining districts, and in 1995-96 in Pratapgarh and nearby areas. “But such incidents are rare, like the one we are experiencing now. Usually, they survive on small animals such as mice, rabbits, etc.,” he said.
With the ongoing rains in the region, the forest department is relocating cages, nets, and camera traps. On one side, there is water from the river, and on the other side, there are human settlements, with forest staff trying to catch the elusive wolves. Areas with waterlogging are being avoided because small animals, which are the wolves’ prey, won’t be present, so the wolves are unlikely to venture there.
“My study on wolf movement ecology reminded me of a Russian saying which means, ‘A wolf is kept fed by its feet.’ This is because a wolf travels 15 to 20 kilometres a day. We are considering other strategies, which might be implemented if the situation doesn’t improve in the next few days,” he opined.
The forest staff is also facing difficulties due to false alarms. Even in cases of dog attacks, the teams have to rush to the spot to investigate, which takes up much of their time and distracts them from focusing on the actual wolves. “It’s not possiible to remove all the wolves from the area, so the priority is to capture the remaining two of the six wolves linked to the deaths and leave the others. The four that were caught are between one and 1.5 years old,” he said.
Ground images that are being analysed by forest staff and experts to predict the wolves’ next move and location, but the “clever wolves” remain elusive.