Wolves maul child, injure women in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh; animal attack cases reported in Sitapur – ThePrint – PTIFeed

Bahraich/Sitapur (UP), Sept 2 (PTI) – A two-year-old girl was killed and two women injured in three separate wolf attacks in Mahsi area of ​​Bahraich district, while reports of suspected animal attacks were also received from neighbouring Sitapur district.

District Magistrate (Bahraich) Monika Rani said this was the eighth death from wolf attacks since July 17. Among those killed were seven children and about 30 injured.

According to officials, two-year-old Anjali was sleeping with her mother outside their house in Garethi Gurudutt Singh village in Hardi district on Sunday when she was snatched by a wolf.

The child's mutilated body was found one kilometer from the village, officials said, adding that the wolf had eaten off both of her hands.

In the second incident, 70-year-old Kamala Devi of Mauja Kotiya village in Barabigha area was injured when a wolf entered her house and attacked her early Monday morning, sources said.

She was admitted to the district hospital with injuries to her neck, mouth and ears and her condition is stable, they added.

In the third incident, Suman Devi (45) was found injured in a suspected wolf attack early Monday and was taken to hospital, officials said.

District Commissioner Shashibhushan Lal Shushil told PTI that Adityanath would hold a review meeting through video conferencing on Monday.

District Magistrate Rani said the administration had already caught four wolves and was working on catching the others.

However, the problem has been exacerbated by the presence of over a hundred customs villages in the district: every four to five days the wolves attack a new village, she said.

People are being informed about the situation and asked to sleep in their homes with doors closed or on roofs, Rani said.

Two wolves reportedly attacked, but the forestry department is gathering information on the exact number, she added.

Superintendents of Police Vrinda Shukla and Rani took stock of the situation and met the family members of the toddler. They also ordered that the injured be given proper treatment.

In neighbouring Sitapur, fear gripped the residents of Parsehra Sharikpur village after three women were injured in attacks by unknown animals.

While locals claimed that the women were attacked by wolves, forest department officials suspect that a jackal was behind the attacks.

A team from the forest department collected animal samples and footprints and ruled out a wolf or tiger attack.

An official from Parsehra Sharikpur said Rosida (30) was sleeping at home with her three children when she was attacked. Rosida suffered claw injuries on her hand.

Two other women – 60-year-old Ramshree and 65-year-old Kailasha – were attacked, the official added.

The official said the villagers immediately informed the forest department, claiming the women had been attacked by a wolf.

Forest official Naveen Khandelwal told reporters, “Our team has not found any footprints of wild animals like wolves, tigers, leopards or panthers. Footprints of jackals have been found and confirmed by the forest teams.” He also appealed to the public not to spread rumours of animal attacks and create panic.

“If any animal is found, people should immediately report it to the forest department so that we can help them in time,” he added. PTI COR ABN KIS SZM

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