UP: Two injured in jackal attack in Bahraich

Bahraich (UP), Oct 5 (PTI) Two siblings were injured in an attack by a jackal here in a village, police said on Sunday. One of them freed himself from the animal's grip and killed it.

After the attack in Tedia village in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday night, the victims, identified as Rajkumar (41) and Sushila (21), are undergoing treatment at a government hospital.

Earlier on Thursday, four people, including three children, were injured in a jackal attack in another village.

"We were sleeping. The animal first attacked my sister, Sushila and then lunged at my neck. I was a little drunk. I freed myself, grabbed its neck and held it until it died. The animal's corpse is lying at my house," Rajkumar told reporters on Saturday night.

While the injured villager claimed it was a wolf, the Divisional Forest Officer confirmed it to be a jackal.

Six people, including four children, have also been killed and several others injured in wolf attacks across villages in Bahraich last month. The wolf suspected to be responsible for the attacks has been shot dead, officials said.

Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav said, "On October 4, at around 8.30 pm, in the Bahraich range of the Bahraich Forest Division, a jackal bit and injured Rajkumar (41) and Sushila (21) in Tedia village under Ramgaon police station area." "The jackal was killed by villagers. The jackal's carcass has been brought for a post-mortem examination. The injured have been sent to the hospital for treatment." The incident comes just two days after a similar jackal attack took place in Gandara village under Kaiserganj police station.

Four people, including three children, namely Kishan (7), Khatija (2), Rubina (15), and Alisher (40), were injured in the attack. The jackal attack has been confirmed by CCTV footage, the DFO said.

A wolf that had been on the prowl in Majhara Taukli village and nearby hamlets since September 9 was shot dead by a forest department team on September 28 after it reportedly attempted to attack children, DFO Ram Singh Yadav said on Tuesday.

"Between September 9 and September 30, six people, including four children and an elderly couple, were killed in the area, and at least 20 villagers were injured," officials said.

Twenty-one task forces and other teams have been engaged in rescue and search operations, and public awareness drives are underway.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the affected area on September 27 and directed that the animal should be shot if it posed a danger to villagers.

DFO Ram Singh Yadav also said areas in Kaiserganj and Mahsi tehsils where wolves are said to be active have been divided into four sectors, and experts are strategising and conducting rescue operations.

A command centre has been established at the district headquarters.

Patrol teams and expert teams are searching for wolves by installing four drone cameras and 25 camera traps at sensitive locations, and are patrolling day and night.

In the villages affected by the attack, 20 solar CCTV cameras and three trapping cages are being installed, and efforts are being made to safely rescue the wolf based on pugmarks.

Two teams of veterinarians are deployed to tranquillise the wolf.

District Minister-in-charge Surya Pratap Shahi visited the bereaved families, assuring government assistance, while former cabinet Minister Mukut Bihari Verma distributed cheques of Rs 50,000 each to 13 injured villagers earlier this week. PTI COR NAV SMV SMV SKY SKY