"Though in both states the wolf is hated and feared, in Gujarat people appear to be less intolerant of it. An occasional sheep or goat killed is regarded as a matter of fate. The prevalence of firearms and their use against wolves is negligible in Gujarat. Use of firearms against wolves is common in Rajasthan, however, where both poisons and firearms are used in a small "war" against wolves."(481)

"The majority of the wolf population of Gujarat and Rajasthan is outside preserves. This population subsists mainly on domestic livestock because there is little wild prey available outside preserves."(481)

Suggested Steps to Diminish the Decline of Wolves:

"We propose an educational program to modify the attitude of the public."(481)

"The wolf is protected by law in India. The people most likely to kill cubs (sic) or adults should be informed about this law."(481)

"Easily subject to fraud, such a loss-replacement system must be carefully announced and fitted with several adaptive processes, such as restricting payments to areas with severe wolf depredations, to proven kills, and only to pastorals below a certain income level. The introduction of better genetic strains of livestock in concert with education and demonstrations in animal husbandry is likely to benefit the pastoral community by increasing production per animal. This would allow reductions in animal numbers thus preventing range degradation by overgrazing (Ghosh et al. 1988). The competition between wild ungulates and domestic livestock would probably diminish, allowing wild prey to increase, thus decreasing human-wolf conflict."(481)

"Traditional superior breeding areas for the wolf should be indentified, and some should be protected or made into preserves."(481)

"In some cases the legal protection and creation of preserves has resulted in ungulate eruptions and consequently high crop damage. Wolves serve as useful predators to help prevent economic loss of crops to wild ungulates."(482)