Urban Wolves Discovered in Durgapur: A Fascinating Study Unveils Their Packs | Kolkata News – Times of India

KOLKATA: A comprehensive study on the elusive Indian wolf population in south Bengal has unearthed the presence of approximately 15-24 of the animals near the industrial town of Durgapur, less than 200km from Kolkata, in West Burdwan.

These wolves, distributed across three packs of approximately five to eight members each, have been documented through camera traps positioned in forests within a 5km-20km radius of the town.
The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a subspecies of the grey wolf. They naturally range in southwest Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and are considered endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The study is a part of the Indian grey wolf conservation project in West Burdwan, which received funding from WWF-India under the Conservation Catalyst Programme and executed by local NGO Wildlife Information and Nature Guide Society (WINGS).
Arkajyoti Mukherjee, a principal investigator, said, “In our earlier work, we recorded a pack of wolves in the Madhaiganj area (with eight wolves). Now, we have found the presence of wolves in Kantaberia, Bijra and Garh Jungle and nearby forest patches.” He especially mentioned their observations of two wolves together in camera traps, occasionally spotting three during direct sightings.
Sagar Adhurya, another principal investigator, emphasised that wolves serve as apex predators in these ecosystems. Their presence in human-dominated landscapes demonstrate their adaptability. “However, their dependency on livestock makes them more prone to retaliatory killing,” Adhurya said.
Manish Kumar Chattopadhyay, lead field expert, discussed conducting preliminary awareness campaigns across 14 areas to assess local knowledge about wolves. Several small-scale awareness initiatives were implemented in Madhaiganj and Saraswatiganj villages.
“From Jan (next year), we will focus more on the campaigns. We have established village committees to conserve this Schedule I species. Until Jan, we have concentrated on gathering ‘relative abundance’ data throughout the West Burdwan district and identifying areas of maximum conflict,” Chattopadhyay said.
‘Relative abundance’ measures how rare or common a species is compared to other species in a specific location, Mukherjee indicated. This data would be ready for presentation by Jan, he said.
“For absolute abundance (total number of the species in a given area), DNA analysis is necessary, for which we have requested WWF support. Relative abundance assessments rely on camera-trap images and direct sightings providing morphological characteristics,” he said, adding that Kalyan Das, ex-IFS and officer on special duty, has been serving as project adviser.
Regarding methodology, Mukherjee described deploying a minimum of 10 trap cameras at strategic locations across four-five pockets with wolf packs. “Our objective is determining pack sizes and identifying movement patterns,” Adhurya explained.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) had previously conducted wolf abundance research in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore. A recent Wildlife Institute of India (WII) study estimated around 3,000 Indian wolves remaining in the wild.