34 injured in wolf attacks in Bahraich; Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says: “Shooting only as a last resort”

The most recent attack occurred on Monday evening, when a five-year-old girl was attacked by a wolf while sleeping next to her grandmother in her house. Thanks to quick action by family and neighbors, the girl’s life was saved, but the wolf escaped.

Kalim, one of the girl’s neighbours, told ANI that it was the first time a wolf had come to their village.

The girl is currently being treated at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Mahasi, where two other people injured in the attack are also being cared for.

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Dr. Ashish Verma, Superintendent of Mahasi CHC, confirmed that a total of 34 people were injured in these attacks.

“All of them have been treated and two of them have been referred to the district hospital in Bahraich. Both are in stable condition,” he said.

Dr. Verma also assured that the CHC was well equipped to deal with such emergencies and adequate stocks of anti-rabies vaccines (ARVs) and anti-snake venom vaccines (ASV) were being made available as per the orders of the Chief Minister’s Office.

Since March 18, a total of ten people, mostly children, have died in wolf attacks. Among the dead are nine children under the age of eight and a 55-year-old woman.

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The Uttar Pradesh police and the forest department have launched ‘Operation Bhediya’ to track down the wolves responsible for the attacks. Four wolves have already been caught, but the search is on for two more, believed to belong to the same pack. The area has been divided into seven zones, each monitored by special teams comprising both forest and police forces.

“Each Gram Panchayat will also get a police team. We will surely get success soon,” said KS Pratap Kumar, ADG of Gorakhpur Zone.

Just one day before the latest attack, a three-year-old girl was killed and two women injured in a similar incident.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed senior forest officials to camp in the affected districts and personally oversee rescue operations.

During the review meeting, the chief minister stressed that shooting the animals should be considered only as a last resort if rescue efforts fail. “Coordination between forest, police, local administration, local panchayat and revenue departments must be ensured and people must be informed about the incidents and measures taken for their own safety,” Adityanath said.

The Chief Minister also ordered an analysis of the underlying causes of the increasing human-wildlife conflict. The Forest Minister and senior officials from various districts, including Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Moradabad and Pilibhit, attended the meeting through video conferencing.