Investigation launched after the last wolf in Bahraich was killed

In India, wolves are primarily represented by the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), a subspecies that inhabits various regions, particularly in the northwestern and central parts of the country. 

The Indian wolf is listed as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List and is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, which prohibits hunting and trade. Despite this protection, they face threats from poaching, retaliatory killings due to livestock predation, and habitat loss.

Wolves have come under scrutiny as the source of terror gripping Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, but Dr. Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, a leading expert on the Indian wolf, cautions against hastily assigning blame. While the region has witnessed tragic losses—over ten lives in recent months, according to PTI reports—the true culprits remain uncertain. 

In response to this crisis, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has designated Mahsi tehsil a ‘Wildlife Disaster’ zone, pledging compensation for victims’ families. The government has launched ‘Operation Bhediya,’ a focused effort by the forest department to track down the wolves implicated in these incidents. This situation underscores the urgent need for a nuanced understanding of human-wildlife interactions and effective conservation strategies that balance safety and ecological integrity.

"Late Saturday night we got information that people had killed a wolf in Tamachpur village under Ramgaon police station of Mahsi tehsil. When we reached there, we found the dead wolf and the bodies of a goat. There were injury marks on the wolf's body and it was bleeding," Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh told PTI.

Operation Bhediya

Operation Bhediya was launched by the Uttar Pradesh government in July, following a series of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district that resulted in over ten fatalities in recent months. The initiative aims to address public safety concerns while ensuring the protection of the Indian wolf by rescuing them. Drone cameras, thermal sensors, and wolf traps have been deployed, and the five wolves of the pack recognised are rescued by the forest department and one last killed by the villagers.

On September 10, a fifth wolf was captured as part of the ongoing Operation Bhediya campaign in Mahsi tehsil, Bahraich, aimed at apprehending a pack of six wolves responsible for the deaths of eight people and injuries to more than 20 others since mid-July. Prior to this, the earlier rescue of four other wolves in the district, highlights the urgent efforts to address the alarming situation and ensure the safety of local communities.

Dr. Jhala told Ground Report,

“Despite Operation Bhediya, villagers are killing wolves who can be captured and rescued. Generally, if a civilian kills a wild animal like a wolf it leads to a two year imprisonment and a fine.”

Declining population of Indian wolves

In Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, a pack of Indian wolves takes in a young boy named Mowgli, teaching him how to navigate the jungles of India. This wolf pack becomes Mowgli’s family, nurturing and protecting him from various dangers. Today, however, Indian wolves face numerous threats without the strong support of their human allies.

Indian wolves and their grassland habitats remain largely neglected. According to the International Wolf Center, the last population estimate for Indian wolves in India dates back nearly 20 years, suggesting their numbers range from 2,000 to 3,000 individuals. Between 2005 and 2015, India reportedly lost 31 percent of its grassland habitat. Indian wolves have declined in areas that were once strongholds for them, such as the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, leading to a situation where there may now be more tigers than Indian wolves in the country.

The Himalayan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco), a key lupine predator in the Himalayas, has recently been assessed for the first time in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and the findings are concerning.

On June 27, 2023, it was classified as ‘Vulnerable.’ According to the assessment, the Himalayan Wolf is listed as Vulnerable under criterion C2a(ii), with an estimated population of 2,275 to 3,792 mature individuals, though this estimate carries some uncertainty.

“Depredation conflict is a major conservation concern, given a seasonal or permanent high livestock abundance in wolf habitats that often form summer pasture land for livestock grazing. Habitat modification and encroachment and depletion of wild prey populations are important drivers of this conflict,” the assessment read.

Legal guidelines to protect the wildlife

When a person kills a wolf in India, it is considered a criminal offense under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, which protects this species. The offender can face legal action, resulting in significant fines and imprisonment ranging from six months to several years, depending on the circumstances of the killing. Authorities, such as the Forest Department, will investigate the incident to determine whether it was intentional or in self-defense. 

If the wolf was killed in retaliation for livestock predation, farmers may have avenues to claim compensation; however, this does not absolve the offender of legal consequences. Additionally, such actions contribute to the decline of the wolf population, leading to stricter enforcement of conservation laws and highlighting the ecological impact of wildlife crimes.

In this case, the sixth and last wolf of the pack, seemed to have been attacked with stones and beaten with sticks. Forest officials confiscated the wolf's body and sent it for a postmortem examination.The forest department has decided to file a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified individuals regarding the animal's death.

In India, capturing a wild wolf is regulated under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, which requires legal authorization from the Chief Wildlife Warden or the Forest Department. In Bahraich of Uttar Pradesh, the forest department has initiated an investigation to identify the killers of the wolf. Dr. Jhala however believes,

“This incident exemplifies human-wildlife conflict, where rushed perceptions and conclusions have transformed an entire species, which has coexisted with humans for years, into perceived threats or evils.”

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