‘Killer’ wolf gunned down in UP’s Bahraich after spate of attacks leaves 6 people dead

This marks the second confirmed death of a wolf in the ongoing operation, while two other wolves, believed to have been injured in separate encounters, are still missing, officials said.

The department has intensified its efforts to track and neutralise the pack following a spate of attacks on humans in the region.

The series of wolf attacks in Bahraich of late began on September 9, when a child was killed in Paragpurwa village. Since then, the district has been plagued by repeated incidents, resulting in the deaths of several people and injuries to many others. The six most-affected villages, which together have a population of nearly 1 lakh, are located nearly 45 kilometres from the district headquarters.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said, “The animal’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination and the report is awaited.”

During the ongoing operation, a pack of four wolves was responsible for the series of attacks, officials said.

According to the department, one wolf was shot dead last month, while two others were shot and injured. Video footage also reportedly shows one of the wolves limping, suggesting it was injured.

But other wolves have not been sighted in recent days, and their movements could not be tracked with the department’s electronic monitoring devices, an official said. Efforts are on to locate and neutralise the fourth wolf, which is also suspected to be injured, he added.

The department has divided the affected region into multiple zones and teams have set up cages, deployed thermal drones, camera traps, nets, and other monitoring equipment. They are also receiving inputs from local residents to track and capture the animals.

During his visit to Bahraich on September 27, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed the department to take strict measures over the recent animal attacks in villages. He instructed the officials to capture the animals, and if needed, deploy trained shooters to eliminate them to ensure public safety.

The region has a history of wolf attacks. In September last year, a pack of six wolves in Mahasi tehsil, killed eight children and injured 18 minors. The department had then launched ‘Operation Bhediya’, during which all six wolves linked to the attacks were captured and neutralised.

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