Wolf Attack In UP: Amid a wolf terror in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, the fifth wolf has been captured by the Forest Department on Tuesday morning. Following the latest development, one more wolf is left to be caught.
Earlier, four wolves were captured under “Operation Bhediya.” Meanwhile, incorrect reports of wolf sightings and crowds gathering at search sites are severely affecting the Uttar Pradesh forest department’s efforts in Bahraich’s Mahasi tehsil to capture or neutralise a pack that has claimed the lives of eight people and left more than 20 injured since mid-July.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Amid a wolf terror in Bahraich, the fifth wolf has been captured by Forest Department this morning. One more wolf remains to be caught. pic.twitter.com/arjULYQqNU
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2024
The department has deployed 165 forest personnel and 18 shooters to track the movement of the pack of wolves. It has struck fear in more than 50 villages in the tehsil. The search operation is aided by thermal camera-equipped drones and snap cameras in forests.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh said sometimes “we receive reports of wolves being sighted in 10-15 different places, and at other times, two, four, or six… in reality, there could have been none (in an area),” as quoted by news agency PTI. “This causes undue pressure for immediate searches. However, our decisions are made based on our discretion,” he said.
Singh said from a distance there are chances that people can confuse a jackal for a wolf. Their behaviour is different, as a wolf will flee upon hearing a drone, while a jackal remains unaffected. The DFO said that recently a wolf was traced, but it managed to flee before the search team could close the perimeter, possibly because it heard a drone.
Besides incorrect reports, Singh said, “Whenever we conduct a search operation based on pugmarks, public curiosity disrupts our efforts. Crowds cause interference, increasing the chances of the animals escaping.” “Over the past two to three days, the troublesome wolves have not been located by either drones or snap cameras,” he further stated.
As a part of the ongoing search operation, teams are putting up posters and banners in villages and organising meetings to educate locals on how to ensure safety from wolves. The teams are apprising the people of various measures that they can adapt for their safety, including keeping doors closed and not sleeping outside.
Singh said to prevent the entry of a wolf into a village, firecrackers are being burst to scare it. Speaking to reporters, Chief Conservator of Forests Renu Singh said, “Eight people have died and 20 have been injured in wolf attacks. Out of six wolves sighted, we have captured four, but no wolf has been apprehended since the last capture on August 29.”
(With ANI, PTI Inputs)