New Delhi: A two-and-a-half-year-old child from the Hardi area of Bahraich, UP has become the latest victim of the wolf attacks in the region. The attack has returned the wave of terror as wolves target people asleep outdoors. The incidents, similar to previous attacks shattered a six-day lull in the predatory rampage.
The child couldn’t survive the attack whereas her mother got severely injured in the attack.
Earlier, around 2:30 am on Sunday, a wolf snatched six-year-old Paras from his cot on the veranda of his home, clamping its jaws onto the boy’s neck. His mother, Gudiya, awoke to the child’s muffled screams and acting on instinct, pulled him away with all her might. The desperate struggle scared the wolf, causing it to flee into the darkness.
Since March, 10 people, eight of them children, have died in wolf attacks in the Bahraich and over 50 people have been wounded. “I woke up to find my boy in the animal’s jaws. I acted instinctively and pulled my son away with as much strength as possible. My cries for help alerted others and the wolf disappeared in the dark,” Gudiya told The Times of India.
Just two hours later, in nearby Darhiya village, another attack unfolded. Kunnu Lal, a 55-year-old man, was pounced upon by a wolf while sleeping. Thankfully, his family was alerted to his cries for help and managed to rescue him from the deadly attack. Both victims sustained bite marks on their necks and are currently undergoing treatment at the Mahsi Community Health Centre.
These attacks brought back the memories of a horrifying incident on July 26th when a seven-year-old boy, Ayansh, was killed by a wolf after being snatched from his sleeping mother in the same area. The routine nature of these attacks, particularly targeting children sleeping alongside their mothers, has instilled fear and panic within the community.
Divisional Forest Officer Ajeet Pratap Singh has confirmed both attacks were indeed committed by wolves. The authorities have deployed over 150 provincial armed constabulary personnel and 25 forest department teams to address the escalating situation as they believe that the attacks might have been perpetrated by a single rogue animal.