LUCKNOW: Teams of forest officials fanning out in the sugarcane fields of Sisiya village in Bahraich managed to trap the fourth killer wolf of a pack of at least six on Thursday.The search teams, as part of ‘Operation Bhediya’, are now on the lookout for the remaining man-eating wolves which had been on the prowl for the last 45 days killing nine people including eight children in the central UP district. Earlier, the forest officials had captured three wolves of the pack.The affected village falls in the Hardi area of Mehsi Tehsil in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, where the residents of around 25-30 villages are living in the shadow of wolf attacks over the last six weeks. Besides the nine deaths, the pack of wolves has left at least 50 persons injured. This ongoing crisis has left more than 50,000 villagers in constant fear.The state minister for forests with independent charge Dr Arun Kumar Saxena had visited the affected villages on Wednesday to take stock of the situation and evaluate the roadmap to trap the wild animals. The forest department has deployed 250 personnel, including 150 forest officials, using thermal drone cameras to track the remaining two to four more wolves still roaming free.However, despite these efforts, the villagers remain deeply anxious. The minister during his visit reassured the villagers urging them to stay indoors and not venture out alone, especially in the dark.In a meeting with the Forest Minister on Wednesday, the Bahraich District Magistrate Monica Rani said that doors were being installed in homes which lacked them. Night patrolling was intensified in the affected villages, and the public, especially women, were being made aware of the dangers.Around 200 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables were also deployed to share the responsibility of protection against the predator with forest officials in Mehsi Tehsil area on Thursday. Additionally, seven armed inspectors, 14 sub-inspectors, and 21 chief constables were deployed in the affected villages for night duty. The district has also been allocated two companies of PAC forces to increase the presence of law enforcement. PAC personnel have been deployed in all sensitive areas.The attacks began on July 17 when a one-year-old child from Sikandarpur village was killed by a wolf followed by multiple attacks by the wolves preying primarily on children. Notably, Bahraich has a wild life sanctuary called ‘Katarniya Ghat’ and also a prosperous green belt of dense forests sharing a boundary with neighbouring Nepal.In each case of wolf attack, the predator breached the confines of home and snatched its victim. Sometimes, it struck in the nearby fields, leaving behind half-eaten bodies of children.According to Ajeet Singh, the divisional forest officer (DFO) overseeing the Operation Bhediya to capture the wolves, these animals became man-eaters after developing a taste for human flesh. While wolves typically avoid human contact, floods in the area may have driven them to search for food in human habitats. The DFO added that since the first casualty on July 17, the forest teams had captured four wolves. “The first three wolves were trapped on August 2, August 7 and August 18,” said the officer. The officer said that it took time to ascertain the cause of the deaths after proper scientific investigation and post-mortem examination.The most recent attack occurred on August 26, when a wolf killed a seven-year-old boy, Ayansh, who was sleeping with his mother in their courtyard of their house. The villagers attribute the complacency to the impractical measures which they say were not possible for them to follow despite warnings from authorities to stay indoors and avoid going out alone.Lack of indoor toilets often forces people to venture outside. Furthermore, the majority of villagers are daily wage labourers who depend on working in the fields for their livelihood.On the ground, Barabanki DFO Akashdeep Badhawan, Katerniyaghat DFO B Shivshankar, Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Dr Pavitra Mohan Tripathi, Circle Officer Mehsi Rupendra Kumar Gaur, and senior Forest Department officials are actively camping in the area to manage the situation.
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