UP: Fifth of Bahraich’s 6 ‘killer’ wolves trapped in Operation Bhediya
The pack’s last wolf, which is believed to be lame, is still out in the wild; forester says threat will persist until it is captured
The fifth of the six wolves that had terrorised Bahraich was captured on Tuesday (September 10) as part of “Operation Bhediya” that has been ongoing in Bahraich’s Mahasi tehsil. The wolves have reportedly killed eight persons and injured more than 20 since mid-July.
The fifth predatory wolf was captured near Ghaghra river close to Harabnspur village, Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told news agency PTI.
“Now the pack’s last wolf, which is lame, is left. It is hoped that he will also be caught soon,” he said.
Trapped in net
According to Singh, the forest department team had found wolf footprints in the area on Monday night. However, since the operation could not be carried out at night, four forest department teams arrived in the morning and surrounded the area.
The wolf tried to flee but was trapped in a net laid by the forest department. With the help of villagers, the forest workers managed to capture and cage the wolf, the divisional forest officer said.
The forest department team had captured the fourth wolf of the pack on August 29. After that, the remaining two wolves likely became cautious and have since evaded capture, the officer said.
Search on for last wolf
Singh said they are now in search of the last wolf of the pack. The threat will persist until the lame wolf is captured, he added.
“Operation Bhediya”, an ongoing campaign since July 17, aims to capture a pack of six wolves that have been terrorising 50 villages in Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district.
So far, at least eight persons, including seven children, have died in suspected attacks by these wolves, District Magistrate (Bahraich) Monika Rani said on September 2.
(With agency inputs)
