BAHRAICH: The people of the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh have been facing wolf menace for the past two months, where seven people have been killed, as per district adminstration.
Bahraich District Magistrate Monika Rani said, "In the last 2 months, several incidents have come to light that wolves have attacked people in Bahraich and some people have lost their lives as well.
Seven such incidents have taken place so far. "Public representatives, police departments and other departments are working together and are trying to make people aware that people should sleep inside their houses.
The Forest Department is also making continuous efforts. We will soon catch the wolves… Compensation has been given to some of the people. We are careful that there should not be any loss of life or property," she further added.
So far, the forest department has succeeded in catching three wolves in the area and many teams have been engaged in catching the remaining wolves. Earlier on Tuesday, BJP MLA from Mahasi assembly constituency, Sureshwar Singh, along with other people, carried rifles and sticks and kept a vigil to look out for the pack of wolves.
He also warned the people of the area about the wolf attacks and boosted the morale of the people troubled by wolf attacks. "Wolf scare began in Bahraich district and its Mahasi Assembly constituency on 17th July 2024.
Since then, deaths have been reported and 20 people have been injured. CM Yogi Adityanath is concerned, our Forest Minister is concerned and forest officials of the district are also concerned," Singh said.
He further added that almost 50 villages have been identified where the wolves wreaked havoc and the authorities are working to deal with the situation. "In almost 50 villages that have been identified, everyone is working on it… Work is underway to catch those wolves… Electricity is being ensured in identified areas where there is no power supply… We are also setting up doors at houses where incidents have occurred… I am carrying a rifle to boost the morale of the people," he added.
Speaking on the matter of the wolf attack, State Forest Minister Arun Saxena said that they are tracing the wolves and hope that they will catch them soon. He further requested the people not to sleep in the open.
"We are tracing them (wolves) and we hope that they will be caught soon. We are monitoring with drones. We will ensure that the wolves are caught. People are requested not to sleep in the open and take care of their children," he said.
The authorities have also called in Indian Forest Service officer Akashdeep Badhawan from Barabanki to tackle the situation here. "We had located the wolf in two areas. We are also using two drones to locate it.
Hopefully, we will trace it soon. Nets have been placed just to create a mental barrier. Since morning, we have chased him in the 5 km stretch here. Once it is localised then the veterinarian will take over," said Badhawan.