In recent months, a string of wolf attacks has claimed the lives of nine children and one adult, with the youngest victim just a year old in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, close to the border with Nepal. Another 34 have been injured. In one case, a four-year-old girl was snatched from her home during a power outage, her lifeless body discovered half a kilometre (500 metres) away the following day.
According to a BBC report, “Children are being kept indoors, and men are patrolling the darkly lit streets at night.”
The forest department launched ‘Operation Bhediya’ to track down the wolves. So far, four of these animals have been caught while two remain at large. Bhediya is the Hindi word for wolf.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told authorities to “go ahead and shoot the animal at sight, if not caught,” as a last resort, according to the Print.
Efforts to contain the threat have escalated. Authorities, employing drones, thermal imaging, and traps, have captured and relocated three wolves to zoos. Floodlights, loudspeakers, and firecrackers have been deployed in an attempt to deter further attacks.
“Authorities in Bahriach have also installed loudspeakers and flood lights to deter the animals. Forest officials from five nearby districts have been deployed to help capture the animals,” NBC reported.
Such incidents are rare, as wolves typically avoid human contact. In North America, for example, wolf-related fatalities have been exceedingly rare, with only two documented cases over the last 50 years, according to biologist Dave Mech.
Most conflicts involving wolves tend to revolve around livestock, particularly in regions where the animals’ natural prey is scarce or disrupted.
The question remains: why now, and why in India?
Some wildlife experts speculate that climate crisis and extreme weather events—such as this year’s heavier-than-average monsoon rains—may be pushing wolves out of their natural habitats and into human settlements.
Amita Kanaujia from the Institute of Wildlife Sciences at Lucknow University told BBC: “Climate change is a gradual process but flooding can lead to habitat disruptions for the wolves, forcing them into human settlements in search of food.”
A report in the Independent said: “Wildlife experts say wolves avoid human habitats but become man-eaters when they develop a taste for human flesh due to the lack of food following floods or other natural disasters.”
"In 1981-82, wolf attacks in Bihar claimed the lives of at least 13 children,” the BBC noted.
“Between 1993 and 1995, another 80 children were attacked, this time by what were believed to be five wolf packs in the region's Hazaribagh district. The deadliest episode occurred over eight months in 1996 when at least 76 children from more than 50 villages in Uttar Pradesh were attacked, resulting in 38 deaths. The killings stopped after authorities killed 11 wolves. The media described them as ‘man-eating’ wolves.”
Role of climate change
Scepticism remains regarding the role of climate change. India Today’s Open Source Intelligence team pointed to satellite data suggesting no widespread flooding in the region during the recent monsoon season.
Furthermore, questions persist about the exact nature of the attackers. Conservationists like Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala have floated the possibility that a wolf-dog hybrid, more fearless of humans, could be behind the killings.
Regardless of the cause, the villagers remain on edge, awaiting resolution in this terrifying chapter of human-wildlife conflict.
“Such wolves are likely to lose their fear of humans, which could be dangerous in encounters with people,” Jhala said.
Source: TRT World
BDST: 1158 HRS, SEP 06, 2024
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