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The terror of a pack of wolves attacking people in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich escalated further this week as they killed a child and injured three others on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday in Chhattarpur village.
According to reports, wolves targeted three children, aged three, six, and nine, before moving on to the nearby village of Raipur, where they took a five-year-old child from his home.
Disturbing pattern
This recent incident marks a disturbing pattern in the region, where eight people—including seven children and one woman—have fallen victim to similar attacks over the past two months.
In response to the escalating crisis, Bahraich District Magistrate Monika Rani convened a meeting on Tuesday with village leaders to raise awareness about the dangers of sleeping outdoors. The district administration, in collaboration with senior police and forest officials, has been intensifying efforts to address the threat, particularly in Mahsi tehsil, since March.
“In order to effectively curb the attacks of the violent wild animal wolf in the Tehsil Mahsi area, DM Monika Rani held a meeting with village heads, secretaries, ration dealers, employment servants and others in the Block Auditorium Mahsi. Instructions were given to make people aware not to sleep in the open,” DM Bahraich wrote in a post on X after the meeting.
Operation underway to capture wolves
Reports suggest that a multi-district operation, led by IFS officers has been underway to track and capture the man-eater wolves.
The forest department has even employed high-frequency drone cameras to monitor the movements of the wolf pack and has identified six wolves involved in attacking people. So far, three have been captured and efforts are underway to catch them all.
According to the forest department, an area of 35 km is affected by wolf attacks. 200 employees of 9 forest department teams are engaged in catching the wolves. Apart from this, 3 DFOs (Barabanki, Katarnia Ghat, Bahraich) have also been deployed.
Tactics to deter wolves
The operation has also involved innovative tactics to deter the wolves from approaching inhabited areas. One such method includes burning elephant dung to create a scent that mimics the presence of elephants, a natural deterrent for wolves, which tend to avoid large animals.
Further, traps with bait have been set up in remote locations to capture the remaining wolves.
As per reports, 30 attacks have been reported from the area in the last 40 days.
District officials have noted that the wolves seem to follow a pattern, targeting children sleeping inside their homes, then dragging them to secluded areas to kill and eat them.
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In addition to this, the wolves have also adjusted their behaviour in response to increased night patrols by the Forest Department, police, and local residents, complicating efforts to predict and prevent future attacks.
As authorities continue to work to protect people, fear and anxiety among villagers in Bahraich remain high. Locals are desperately hoping for a quick resolution to this ongoing crisis.
