Blitz Bureau
BAHRAICH: The menace of wolves in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich shows no signs of abating as the predatory animals struck again, injuring two residents, including a child and an elderly person on August 31 night. The attacks have intensified fears among residents who worry that the wolves could become more aggressive with time.
Over 35 villages in Bahraich are on high alert after a pack of wolves killed seven children and a woman in the past one-and-a-half months.
Despite the capture of four wolves and the deaths of nine people, the threat remains persistent. The local administration is actively involved in efforts to capture and control the wolf population, but the danger continues. Forest department experts attributed the current issues to the behaviour of a single wolf rather than a collective increase in aggression. Wolves typically hunt every two to three days, and their keen sense of smell and high speed make them formidable predators.
Officials noted that wolves may prefer the darkness of Amavasya for hunting, as it provides cover, but this theory is not supported by concrete evidence. The dark conditions of Amavasya might make it a more suitable time for wolves to hunt. Despite this, there is no authentic basis for the belief that Amavasya directly influences wolf behaviour.
A two-year-old girl was killed, while three other people were injured as wolves continued to terrorise Bahraich. The latest attacks took place despite officials from the forest department patrolling the area. The girl has been identified as Anjali and her mother said that the incident took place at around 3.55 AM on September 2.
“I woke up when my six-month-old child started crying. Only then did I realise that the wolf had taken my daughter away. She was bitten on both her hands. We are poor people, who work as labourers. There is no door to our home,” she was quoted as saying.
The neighbours had spotted the wolf many times, but whenever they called the forest department, they asked for video proof.
“We surrounded it in the field the day before yesterday and when we called the forest department, they asked us for the video. Where do we get the video from? We are repeatedly complaining that we have seen the wolf. By the time we take out the mobile, it disappears,” they said.
