RASULABAD (Vadadora District), July 7: Cries of peacocks in the serene interiors of this village and its surroundings in Waghodia taluka only adds to the ghostly silence, exacerbated by a herd of hungry wolves stalking the area.With 11 of their goats eaten up, fear is writ large on the faces of villagers even as they point their finger towards the wild bushes and jungles of ganda-baval (wild tall bushy trees) spread all over around Surya river - a tributary of Vishwamitri, where they say, the wolves may have been hiding for the past one month.Vadodara forest officials, who are yet to take a stock of the situation, do not rule out the menace - jackals or hyenas preying on goats, calves and even infants or the aged. ``It was reported a couple of years ago, too'', admits a top official here.Vadodara Circle conservator C N Pandey and deputy conservator G S Pandey say the dense bushy areas in hundreds of acres, coupled with proximity to human settlements, are a natural advantage to carnivores like jackals. ``But wolves are rare in Gujarat'', says C.N. Pandey.Villagers, who may not be aware of the jurisdiction of the forest circle and its ranges, say they have alerted forest officials on the menace though they have not given anything in writing. One foresters of the Waghodia area, which covers dozens of villages bordering Haalol, confirms the incidents.``Since I have not received a formal complaint yet, I have not informed my superiors'', he pleads, preferring anonymity.But village sarpanch Dayabhai Parmar has all of it on his finger tips: ``Mohanbhai, Manibhai, Bachiben, Raijibhai and Savitaben (all Vasavas) have so far lost 10 goats, while Virsinh Naik and Bhikhabhai Rathodia one each.''Mohanbhai lost his goats about a month ago when the wolves whisked away the animals from near his hut, while in case of others, the goats were taken away while they were grazing. The villagers believe it was either wolves or jackals.Parmar says he could not inform officials as he had met with an accident and is still bed-ridden, but adds he will in a week. Punjabhai, Manubhai and Dalpatbhai only shudder when they think of the howlings of the wolves in the area. They say even nearby villages like Venkatpura, Jafarpura, Kodanvaya and Amritpura have been facing the menace.``What can we do? We are keeping a close watch on our children and animals, for we cannot kill the wild animals because of laws. And we do not know much about such things'', says Manu. Punjabhai laments ``mhari bakri sauthi moti hati'' and says that he and his family have to constantly keep a vigil on their animals ``every minute.''But forest officials are ready to help, and promise they would look into the matter. They say if the loss is properly assessed, compensation may be paid.
