50YO Woman To 2YO Girl: Several Attacked By Wolves In UP's Bahraich

A 50-year-old woman in UP's Bahraich region had a near-death experience after a wolf attack in Raipur Korean Tepra village on September 11. The woman, Pushpa Devi, is one of the at least 30 people injured in the attacks in the region since mid-July. The incident happened at around at 10 p.m. when Devi was sleeping. Her relative suspects that one her children might have left the door open, letting the wolf enter. "It came and grabbed her neck. The family members and neighbours heard her cry and ran towards her. Then the wolf ran away," the relative told the news agency Asian News International.

2YO Girl Among Several Killed In Wolf Attacks

At least eight people have been killed in wolf attacks since mid-July in UP's Bahraich. Among these is a 2.5-year-old girl who was killed on September 3. Little Anjali was killed at around 4 AM when she was asleep next to her mother in the yard of their home in Gareth Gurudutt Singh Village. After the wolf attack, her body was later found a kilometre away from home. Both of her hands were eaten, as reported by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO). 

Reacting to the situation, village head Uma Kant Dixit said how "People in the area are scared after the incident. And reasonably so. She also informed me how search operations had begun and forest officials had also arrived in the city." Monika Rani, the District Magistrate of Bahraich also visited the town and home to the 2.5-year-old deceased and tried to comfort the family by consoling them.

Monika said in a public statement of how this is not the first incident, they are aware of the pattern that exists. "The wolf starts its activity after 5-6 days. The biggest hurdle in operation is that every time a new village is marked. The forest department is doing its best to catch the wolves."

'Operation Bhediya' on the go 

Operation Bhediya is gaining momentum in Bahraich as the police officials are using innovative methods to catch this pack of man-eaters. In one technique, teddy bear covered in children's urine is used as bait to attract the pack. So far, five wolves have already been captured. The district administration and forest department have also reportedly installed solar and high-mast lights in open houses in 50 villages in Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district. 

As many as 165 forest personnel and 18 shooters have been deployed to track the movement of the killer wolves. Thermal camera-equipped drones and snap cameras are being used to aid the search. "Typically they hunt at night and return to their dens by morning. Our strategy is to mislead them and lure them away from their residential areas towards traps or cages placed in their dens," Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told PTI.