Child Lifting: Wolves in Hazaribagh India
Ambio / A Journal of the Human Environment
The problem of child-lifting by wolves in Hazaribagh West, Koderma and Latehar forest divisions of Bihar State, India, has been evaluated, based on records of the Forest Department, interviews, and a survey. Five wolf packs have created problems in 63 villages.
80 child casualties occurred from April 1993 to April 1995 and only 20 victims were rescued. All the children were taken from settlements primarily during March to August between 17.00 and 19.00 hrs. There were more female victims (58%) than males and 89% were 3-11-yrs old.
Recommendations for the mitigation of human-wolf conflicts, and a conservation strategy for wolves might include: surveying wolf habitats for identification of dens and rendezvous sites, and estimating wolf populations; capture of problem wolves; improving compensation to victims' families; research on wolf behavior, rabies, wolf/dog hybrids, and the prey-base; possibilities for introducing natural prey, and regulation of wolf populations