Beyond 2000 Symposium

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Wolf - Prey Interactions

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Beyond 2000:
Realities of Global Wolf Restoration

23-26 February 2000
Duluth, Minnesota USA

Food habits, consumption, and predation by wolves in the Bhal, India

Bharat D. Jethva, Yadvendradev V. Jhala, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, PO Box 18, Dehradun 248001, India

The food habits of different wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) packs were studied in the Bhal region of western India by analysing 730 confirmed wolf scats. We estimated the minimum number of scats that should be analysed per season to obtain an accurate representation of seasonal food habits of wolves. These varied between 20-50 scats per season per pack. We also determined the minimum number of hair that need to be scanned to detect all the mammalian prey species represented in a scat with a 95% probability. Radio-tagged wolf packs were continuously monitored for a total of 1207 hrs. for quantifying predation rates. Consumption was estimated from information on: a)the number of wolves that had potentially fed on the carcass, b) the proportion of carcass eaten, c) the age and sex of the prey species killed, d) the remains of the carcass after the wolves had finished eating, and e) the interval between consecutive feeding events. Average interval between feeding events on large prey was 3.64 (se 0.83) days and the average kill interval was 4.52 (se 1.08) days. We estimated average consumption per wolf to be 1.55 kg (0.24 kg) per day.

Availability of wild prey species like blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) and nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) were estimated by repeated total counts in ecologically defined zones. Availability of domestic livestock was estimated by total counts in different villages within and around wolf territories. We compare the food habits of wolves between seasons and between different packs and interpret the results in relation to prey availability in the study area. We also discuss the food habits of wolves in different parts of India in the context of human wolf conflicts.