Expert says wolf attacks are retaliation for habitat loss

As Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich grapples with wolf terror, an expert has said the series of attacks on the residents of Mehsi tehsil might be due to wolves "seeking revenge" for possible habitat loss or killing of their cubs.

Wolf attacks on humans, including children, have been taking place in Bahraich since March but they saw a spike from July 17 onwards during the rainy season.

Till September 2, eight people, including seven children, have died in these attacks while about 36, including women, children and elderly, have been injured.

Gyan Prakash Singh, a retired officer of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and a former forest officer at Katarniaghat Wildlife Division of Bahraich district, said wolves, unlike other predatory animals, have a tendency to seek revenge.

"On the basis of my experience, I can say that wolves have a tendency to take revenge. In the past, humans must have caused some kind of harm to their cubs due to which these attacks are happening as revenge," Singh, who is serving as an adviser to the Wildlife Trust of India after retirement, told PTI.

Around 25 years ago, more than 50 children were killed by wolves in the basin area of the Sai river in Jaunpur and Pratapgarh districts of Uttar Pradesh, he said.

Upon investigation, it was found that some children had killed two wolf cubs in a den, he added.

The parents of the wolf cubs became very aggressive and began attacking humans living in the area.

The forest department launched a campaign and some wolves were caught but the man-eater couple managed to evade getting captured despite the large-scale hunt.

Ultimately, they were identified and both were shot, he added.

Singh said a similar pattern has emerged in Bahraich as in January and February, two wolf cubs were crushed under the wheels of a tractor.

As the furious wolves began attacking local residents, several of them were caught and released in Chakia forest, around 40 km away.

"Perhaps a mistake was made here. Chakia forest is not a natural habitat for wolves. It is likely that the same wolves have returned and are carrying out these attacks to seek revenge," he said.

Talking about the four wolves who have so far been captured by the forest department, Singh said it was highly unlikely that all the man-eater wolves had been caught or else the attacks would have stopped.

"There is little hope that all the four wolves that have been caught so far are man-eaters. It is possible that one man-eater has been caught but the others have escaped. Perhaps that is why three or four attacks have taken place in the recent past," he said.

Bahraich's Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh said even lions and leopards do not have the tendency to take revenge, but wolves do.

"If there is any disturbance to the habitat of wolves or an attempt is made to catch or kill them or their cubs, then they take revenge by hunting humans," he said.

Meanwhile, Devipatan's Divisional Commissioner Shashi Bhushan Lal Sushil said if the man-eating wolves are not caught and their attacks continue, as a last resort, orders will be issued to shoot them.

The Devipatan division includes the districts of Gonda, Balrampur, Bahraich, and Shravasti.