Present status of
wolves in West Bengal
SABYASACHI MALLICK
A
few years back, a leading wildlife
and environment journal carried out
a write-up that declared wolf country
in India did not include any portion of
West Bengal. To substantiate the claim,
a map had also been provided separately
with the write-up to show the range of wolvs
in our country. That map too, did not
highlight any prime district of southern West
Bengal such as Bankura, West Midnapore or
Purulia as constituent of wolf range
in India. The issue raised quite a few eyebrows.
Because almost coinciding with the publication
of that journal came reports of minor
wolf attacks on humans from the banks of
Damodar river.
This contrast sparked a debate and thanks
to that, many people became curious to
know the actual status of wolves in West
Bengal. To answer their queries, it must
first be stated that in the isolated forest
areas of Birbhum, Bardhaman, West
Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, the
WEST BENGAL OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2007
traditional wolf tract of Bengal, the situation
is not at all hopeless. In fact, apart from
some scattered killing of adults and pups
by some minority nomadic tribes and certain
communities, no serious threat exists for
the wolves of Bengal.
Habitat of Bengal wolves is constituted
mostly of mixed secondary Sal forest
with narrow open wasteland and seasonal
deep or shallow streams cutting through
a laterite pebble or clay bed. Mixed
shrub jungle spread on red soil or mixed
forest on low or medium hills with boulders
scattered upon them and surrounded by flat
peneplain and Sal forest also harbour the
wolf population.
In these areas, wolves live in different
types of dens. Variety in den types depends
mainly on geological and vegetational
conditions. In the wasteland areas, inside
or at fringe areas of forests, wolf pups
are born in weathered places formed due
to erosion by water during monsoon. Well
ventilated tunnel type
on village livestock has
burrows with two
not yet thrown wolves
openings, one at the
into serious trouble. The
top and another about
people living in the wolf
2 meters above stream
territory mostly take it
In the wasteland
bed, are made at the
as for granted, as
areas, inside or at
height of 4-5 meters
inevitable. Also the cases
along tbe banks of
of wolves not attacking
fringe areas of
streams comprised of
humans in large scale,
forests, wolf pups
clay bed inside the
save for a few instances
forest. In the shrub
of child lifting and human
are born in
type of jungle, pups
mauling in all these long
weathered places
are born and taken
years, has contributed
care of using the
to
the
continued
formed due to
screen of thick bush
undisturbed existence of
erosion by water
cover. In hilly terrain,
the species so close to
amid dense forest
the hamlets.
during monsoon.
cover, caves and
To put it as it is in
crevices hidden under
reality, the main threat
boulders are chosen as
for wolves is loss of
dens. They generally
habitat and food source.
are situated fairly high, and to felicitate
Also the scarcity of drinking water in the
proper ventilation, most of these dens have
semi-arid regions during dry season is a
a curious north-south alignment.
serious problem. The mass ritual hunting
The huge time spent in attacks on village
by tribals is a major threat to natural food
livestock proves that main food of Bengal’s
availability of the wolves too. But despite
wolves is goat and poultry. Though it does
all these troubles, the success of Joint Forest
not imply that they do not hunt in jungle.
Management programme and the spread of
Scat analysis in recent surveys has proved
education in villages have kept the Bengal’s
mongooses, red jungle fowl and hare also
wolf population afloat so far. n
fall prey to wolves. The habit of living mostly
The author is a freelance journalist.
WEST BENGAL OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2007