UP: 3-year-old girl killed in animal attack in Bahraich; multiple children dead, missing in 15 days

Bahraich (UP), Sep 24 (PTI) A three-year-old girl was allegedly killed in a wild animal attack here on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The incident took place in Babulal Purwa village, located within the Majhara Taukli Gram Panchayat in Kaiserganj tehsil. It provoked anger among residents, leading to vandalism of several vehicles at the scene until police intervened to restore order.

According to forest department sources, between September 9 and 24, three children have died due to wild animal attacks in the area, while another child remains missing. During these 15 days, approximately a dozen people, including children, have also been injured. The specific identity of the attacking animal has yet to be determined.

Range Officer Onkar Nath Yadav told PTI that the girl, identified as Soni, was sitting in her house courtyard when a wild animal attacked her. Villagers quickly surrounded the animal, causing it to flee into nearby sugarcane fields, but not before it bit off one of the girl's hands. Villagers rushed her to the hospital; unfortunately, she died en route.

The officer further noted that the incident followed several recent attacks in the same area. On September 23, three-year-old Prince was attacked while playing in the courtyard of his house and was dragged by a wild animal to a sugarcane field. Villagers armed with sticks raised an alarm and chased the animal, which ultimately left the child unharmed. Prince was hospitalised and later referred to Lucknow for specialised treatment.

On September 20, two wild animals allegedly abducted a three-year-old boy, Aniket, from Gandhu Jhala village in the same Gram Panchayat. Despite extensive searches, including the deployment of SSB-trained dog squads, no trace of the child has been found.

The spate of attacks began on September 9, when a four-year-old girl, Jyoti, was allegedly taken by a wolf and found dead the next morning. On September 11, a three-month-old infant, Sandhya, was snatched from her mother, with only her mutilated head, bracelet, and clothes later recovered.

Forest department teams, operating under a control room set up in Bahraich, are conducting search operations across three districts with over 100 personnel across 32 teams. The teams are using thermal drones, night-vision cameras, and camera traps, and are attempting to trap the animal by tying livestock in cages in sensitive areas. Villagers are patrolling at night with sticks and torches.

A WhatsApp group named "Fakhrpur Human-Wildlife Conflict" has been set up to coordinate information between locals, police, administration, and the forest department.

Residents have compared these recent attacks to last year's wolf incidents in Mahsi tehsil. Specialised wolf-catching teams have also been deployed by the forest department.

In response to the situation, Kaiserganj SP legislator Anand Yadav has suggested that the government should issue shoot-on-sight orders for the attacking animals to safeguard the lives of villagers. PTI COR KIS MPL MPL