New Delhi: A child was killed and three others were injured in yet another wolf attack in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district. An official said the wolves attacked three children - aged three, six, and nine - in Kharighat's Chhattarpur on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
The official said that before the teams could reach the scene, the wolves had already moved to the nearby village of Raipur, where they attacked and carried away a five-year-old child from his parents' home.
As many as eight people, including seven children and a woman, have so far died in similar attacks over the past two months in the region.
Earlier Tuesday, Bahraich district magistrate, Monika Rani, held a meeting with village heads to make people aware not to sleep in the open.
How Forest Officials Are Warding Off Killer Wolves
The Bahraich district magistrate and senior police and forest officials have been leading the ongoing efforts to control the situation in Mahsi tehsil since March.
The divisional forest officers of four districts have also been involved in the operation.
They are using high-frequency drone cameras to monitor the wolf pack.
The forest department has also been using elephant dung and urine to divert the wolves' route when the attack occurred.
"We identified six wolves using high-frequency drone cameras. Out of these, three have already been captured. Our primary goal is to ensure the safety of villagers by first driving the wolves away from residential areas," the news agency PTI quoted IFS officer, Akashdeep Badhawan, who is leading the special operation, as saying.
"The dung is set afire to create a scent that simulates the presence of elephants. Wolves, which are pack hunters, tend to avoid large animals like elephants. By creating this illusion, we aim to push them away from inhabited areas. We have also set up traps with bait in remote areas," he said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh said there have been approximately 30 attacks over the past 40 days.
He said the wolves follow a specific pattern as they attack children sleeping in their homes and drag them to secluded areas to kill and consume their body parts.
Recently, the wolves have altered their attack timings following the increased night patrols by the Forest Department, police, and local residents, Mr Singh said.