Wolf Attacks In Bahraich: Another wolf, which was part of a pack of six wolves that attacked residents in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich, has been caught by the forest department officials under 'Operation Bhediya'. The wolves killed 10 people, including nine children, in the past one and half months, creating terror among locals in Harbaksh Purwa village in Bahraich. More than 35 people have been injured in these attacks in Bahraich and several villages have been put on alert.
Now, only one wolf is left to be caught. Detailing the latest leg of 'Operation Bhediya', district forest officer Ajit Pratap Singh said that the fifth wolf was caught in about one-and-a-half hours using the tracking abilities of the forest officers. Explaining why a drone was not used, he said, "The wolves used to run away after seeing the drone."
The attacks by the animals, which usually shy away from humans, have led to a curiosity among experts. Sanjay Pathak, the general manager of Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation, said this is their habitat where humans have interfered. "This species of wolves is almost endangered and work that needs to be done to conserve them is not being done and a negative message is being spread all over the country regarding them," Pathak said.
He said people should exercise caution and no incident has taken place in the past few days. Patrolling teams are lighting firecrackers on the outskirts of the highly sensitive affected villages to prevent the wolves from entering residential areas.
Yogi Adityanath Talks About Human-Animal Confict
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that a wildlife protector will be appointed on Tuesday. "We get to see and hear about wildlife conflict...the loss of even a single life in it is sad for us," he said. Yogi added that no animal is violet and attacks like these happen when one encroaches another's territory. "If there is water in the forests, the animals will move to nearby sugarcane fields. The animal will become violent on seeing a farmer alone in the field," he said.
"The life cycle of wildlife also goes hand in hand with humans. Uttar Pradesh is the first state to recognise the loss of life due to human-wildlife conflict under disaster and and amount of ₹5 lakh is given for it," Yogi said.