Seventh rogue wolf put down by forest dept team in UP's Bahraich after rescue attempt fails

Bahraich (UP), Dec 29 (PTI) A seventh wolf, presumed to part of the rogue pack terrorising villages in the Kaiserganj forest range here, was killed in firing by a forest department rescue team, a senior forest officer said on Monday.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that during a search operation near Birja Pakariya and Rohitpurwa villages in Kaiserganj tehsil following reports of wolf activity in the area, a wolf was sighted around 3.30 pm on Sunday.

The rescue team surrounded the area and began pursuing the animal, which was spotted running towards the river from Birja Purwa village using a drone camera.

When the rescue attempt failed, a shooter fired at the wolf, killing it. The body of the dead wolf was recovered on Monday, the officer said.

Yadav said the deceased wolf was an adult male. A panel of veterinarians has conducted a postmortem examination of the body.

The DFO said this is the seventh wolf killed during the search and rescue operations.

So far, 12 persons have died and 32 injured in wolf attacks in the division.

Yadav said teams are still patrolling the area due to the possibility of more wolves being present. People are being advised to take special precautions, keep children under supervision, and be vigilant when going outside their homes. The teams are patrolling day and night. Firecrackers are being continuously set off to keep wolves away from residential areas.

Following frequent wolf attacks reported from some villages in Bahraich district since September 9, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the area on September 27 and conducted an aerial survey. He met the villagers affected by wolf attacks, and distributed financial assistance and relief packages.

The chief minister had instructed that the wolves be rescued safely, but if that failed, they should be put down. Rescue experts and shooters were called in from across Uttar Prasdesh and other states to conduct the rescue operation.

On September 28, forest department shooters killed the first wolf. PTI COR NAV ARB ARB