- It’s not weird if it works…
Some parents might tell children that a big bad wolf will come and eat them if they don’t behave. In northern India, they wouldn’t have to bother.
They could just point at the wolf and go: “See that?”
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has a serious problem with the biggest and baddest kind of wolves. A man-eating wolf pack is terrorizing the area’s villages and has reportedly killed several children.
Naturally, the villagers would like the horror to end. And to their credit, the local forest and wildlife authorities are working hard to capture the wolves.
The man-eating beasts are clever, though, and have evaded traditional capture methods. So, the authorities had no choice but to get creative.
They’ve begun using various strange strategies to corral the wolves into traps — including planting dolls soaked in children’s urine in the wild.
Look, they’re actually catching some of the wolves. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, we suppose.
Unusually Aggressive
You may associate wolves with the northern forests of Alaska or maybe Yellowstone, but they live all around the world. That includes the wilderness around the city of Bahraih, near the India-Nepal border.
Normally, the beasts aren’t that big of an issue. They’re out there and dangerous, sure, but as long as you take the proper precautions, you won’t really have to worry about them.
One wolf pack in the region around the village of Mahsi Tehsil, however, is a bigger problem. In the last few months, the six-strong pack has become increasingly aggressive.
So much so, that they’ve turned into maneaters.
Since mid-July, the wolves have reportedly killed six children and one woman in the area. That’s in addition to the multiple attacks in which people have gotten injured.
No one’s certain why the wolves have started attacking people. Perhaps they can get some answers if they can be captured.
Thermal Drones
On the topic of capturing the wolves, the authorities are working hard to try and get them before they attack again. Both local and national forestry and wildlife departments are employing various methods to monitor the wolves, including some high-tech gadgets.
According to Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh from the Indian Forest Service, they’ve deployed drones equipped with thermal cameras to track the wolves. That might not sound like much, but the wolves are intelligent and constantly on the move.
“The wolves are constantly changing their locations. Typically, they hunt at night and return to their dens by morning,” explained Singh according to The Telegraph India.
Tracking them doesn’t just help authorities alert villages of an approaching wolf pack. It also allows them to deploy distractions and bait to try and capture the animals.
“Our strategy is to mislead them and lure them away from residential areas towards traps or cages placed near their dens,” said Singh.
The Pee Dolls
But how do you get a wild wolf to walk into a cage? To that end, the authorities use various types of bait, from food to more… Unusual options.
The strangest bait is probably the pee-soaked dolls.
“Since these animals have primarily been targeting children, we have introduced large teddy dolls dressed in colorful clothes, soaked in children’s urine, to create a false sense of human presence near the traps. The natural human scent may attract the wolves closer to the traps,”
The piss dolls are placed on riverbanks near the wolves’ dens. This way, the authorities hope the animals get a whiff of them as soon as they wake up and go straight for the cages.
That said, there’s actually no proof that the child pee dolls are working. As such, the hunters are also driving the wolves toward the traps and cages by setting off firecrackers and shouting.
But hey — so far they’ve managed to capture four of the pack’s six wolves. Although two maneaters are still out there, they must be doing something right.