In Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, the forest department is now using colorful dolls (teddy dolls) to catch man-eating wolves. These ‘teddy dolls’ are being used as fake bait. The special thing is that these ‘dolls’ have been soaked in children’s urine, so that they smell like children and the wolves are drawn towards them. These ‘teddy dolls’ have been placed near the river banks, wolves’ resting places and dens.
Actually, these man-eating wolves are very cunning. After hunting at night, they return to their den. They are also constantly changing their location. To catch these man-eating wolves attacking the villagers, the forest department is now using colorful dolls (teddy dolls) soaked in children’s urine.
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Regarding this, Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told the news agency- Wolves are constantly changing their location. Usually they hunt at night and return to their dens by morning. Our strategy is to mislead them and attract them towards the traps or cages placed near their dens away from residential areas.
According to the forest officer- We are following them using thermal drones and then trying to drive them towards deserted areas near the trap by bursting crackers and making noise. Since these animals mainly target children, we are placing colorful teddy dolls soaked in children’s urine around the wolves to create a false impression of human presence near the trap. Because, the smell of urine can bring the wolves closer to the teddy dolls, and they can be caught.
Ramesh Kumar Pandey, a senior IFS officer with extensive experience working in Terai forests and currently serving as Inspector General of Forests in the Ministry of Environment, said that the British had attempted to eliminate wolves from the region, even offering bounties for killing them. However, despite these efforts, the wolves managed to survive and continued to inhabit the riverside areas.
The official further explained that several types of bait are used to catch animals, including live bait, dead bait and fake or masked bait. He said that the teddy dolls being used by the forest department can be considered a form of fake bait, just like scarecrows are used in fields to protect crops from birds.
Although there is no proven record of success of such methods, these new efforts should still be encouraged as they offer a potential solution to human-wildlife conflict.
It is worth noting that in recent months, a pack of wolves in Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich has become increasingly aggressive. The attacks have intensified since July. According to official sources, a pack of six wolves has reportedly killed six children and a woman since July 17, while injuring several villagers.
Currently, four of the six wolves have been captured, but two are still at large, posing a threat in the area. The forest department is actively searching for these wolves using both thermal and regular drones.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)