New Delhi:

A 50-year-old woman was severely injured in yet another wolf attack in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district on Wednesday night. The victim, identified as Pushpa Devi, was attacked when she was sleeping at her residence in Raipur Korean Tepra village.

“The incident took place at 10 pm when she was sleeping. One of the children might have opened the door and it (the wolf) was hiding somewhere. It came and grabbed her neck,” her family member was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

“The family members heard her cry and ran towards her. The people in the neighbourhood also gathered and then the wolf ran away,” he said.

Ms Devi is currently undergoing treatment in the Bahraich District Hospital.

Bahraich has been witnessing a spate of wolf attacks, in which at least eight people, including seven children, have been killed and more than 30 injured since mid-July.

UP’s ‘Operation Bhediya’ To Catch Wolves

Chief Minister Yogi Adityantath-led Uttar Pradesh has launched a campaign named ‘Operation Bhediya’ to capture a pack of six wolves that have been terrorising 50 villages in Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district. 

So far, five wolves have already been captured and efforts to catch the remaining man-eating wolf have been intensified.

“The pack’s last wolf can be alpha wolf (leader of the pack). Till it is caught, the problem might persist. It is hoped that it will also be caught soon,” an officer said this week.

As many as 165 forest personnel and 18 shooters have been deployed to track the movement of the killer wolf. Thermal camera-equipped drones and snap cameras are being used to aid the search. 

The district administration and forest department have installed solar and high-mast lights in open houses and villages.

Rabies, Distemper Virus Behind Wolf Attacks In Bahraich?

A disease such as rabies or canine distemper virus could be responsible for the wolf attacks in Bahraich, according to SP Yadav, the head of the International Big Cat Alliance. The exact reason, however, can only be determined through a proper analysis of the captured animals, he told the news agency PTI.

“It is a one-off incident. It is not a regular occurrence. There must be a rabid animal or something similar that triggered this issue. Normally, this does not happen. I believe it is the first such incident in the past 10 years. The forest department is conducting surveys to identify the problematic animal,” he said.

Mr Yadav, who has also headed Project Tiger and Project Cheetah, said that rabies and canine distemper virus can sometimes alter the behaviour of big cats, making them lose their fear of humans.

“This could be the cause. It is important to capture the animal, analyse the sample, and diagnose the issue properly to determine the reason,” he told PTI.

Mr Yadav said tigers occasionally become “man-eaters”, which also is not a common occurrence.

“Hunting requires a lot of energy. It is not easy. So, when they get older or are unable to hunt in the wild, they may target easy prey like cattle. Similarly, if their canines are broken or their paws injured, they may attack humans or livestock only when they are in distress,” he said, adding that tigers do not usually identify humans as prey.

“In most cases, the tiger confuses people crouching in fields with deer or other prey,” Mr Yadav added.

New Delhi:

A wolf involved in the killings of at least eight people in two months in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district has been caught, officials said today. At least eight people, including seven children and a woman, have so far died in wolf attacks in Bahraich over the past two months. An infant was killed in the latest attack on Tuesday night.

The wolf, part of the pack of six, was trapped after forest department officials used firecrackers to force it to a particular path.

They then tranquillized it and took it to a zoo.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Bahraich Forest Department catches the wolf that killed 8 people in Bahraich.

(Video Source: Bahraich Forest Department) pic.twitter.com/qaGAkblyE4

— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2024

Officials have so far captured four wolves and believe two are still out in the open.

Drone Cameras Used To Catch Killer Wolves

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched ‘Operation Bhediya’ to capture the pack of wolves on the prowl in Mehsi tehsil in Bahraich.

According to an official statement by the government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also closely monitoring the operation.

An official said they have deployed 16 teams to capture the wolves.

Drone Cameras and thermal drone mapping techniques are being used by the Forest Department to catch the killed wolves. The officials were also using elephant dung and urine to divert the wolves’ route when the attack occurred.

“The dung is set afire to create a scent that simulates the presence of elephants. Wolves, which are pack hunters, tend to avoid large animals like elephants. By creating this illusion, we aim to push them away from inhabited areas. We have also set up traps with bait in remote areas,” an official said.

District Magistrate Monika Rani said doors are being installed at houses that don’t have them and night patrolling is being conducted in all villages. ASHA workers have been also assigned the job of raising awareness among the people, she said.