Amid animal attacks in Bahraich, carcass of adult male wolf found in sugarcane field

Forest officials have, prima facie, ruled out the possibility that the wolf died of a gunshot injury. However, they did not dismiss the likelihood that the animal may have been attacked and killed by villagers, many of whom have been patrolling the area with traditional weapons in view of the recent spate of attacks.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said the carcass has been sent for post-mortem examination and the report is awaited. “The next course of action will be decided on the basis of the post-mortem findings,” he said.

Yadav further stressed that the department’s primary objective remains to capture the wolf alive rather than eliminate it.

Forest officials have not ruled out the possibility that this wolf may have been part of the same pack responsible for recent attacks on people.

The series of attacks in Bahraich began on September 9, when a child was killed in Paragpurwa village. Since then, the district has witnessed repeated incidents. The most recent one occurred last Thursday night at Bhabhanpurva village, where a minor boy was mauled.

On Friday morning, a woman heading to the fields was also targeted, but she managed to raise an alarm and villagers working nearby rushed with sticks.

The wolf attacks have so far been reported within a 15-km radius spread across Mahsi and Kaiserganj tehsils of Bahraich, with the majority of incidents concentrated in Kaiserganj.

Among the four victims, the body of one of the children is still missing. All those injured are adults, except for one child.

According to forest officials, the wolves’ behaviour this year appears to have changed compared to last year. While earlier attacks were largely confined to nighttime, the animals are now striking during daylight hours as well. This shift, officials noted, has heightened fear among residents.

Forest officials said that extensive precautionary and security measures have been rolled out in the affected villages. For better monitoring and search operations, the region has also been divided into separate zones.

In September last year, a pack of wolves had killed eight people, mostly children, and injured 18 others in Mahasi tehsil of the district. The Forest Department had then launched ‘Operation Bhediya’, during which six wolves purportedly linked to the attacks were captured.

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