New Delhi: At least eight people, including seven children and a woman, have so far died in wolf attacks in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich over the past two months. An official said out of a pack of six wolves, four have already been captured by the forest department under 'Operation Bhediya'.
With residents anticipating more attacks by the two wolves that remain at large, officials have now started using soft toys soaked in children's urine as bait to capture them.
"Since these animals have primarily been targeting children, we have introduced large soft toys dressed in colourful clothes, soaked in children's urine, to create a false sense of human presence near the traps. The natural human scent may attract the wolves closer to the traps," Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told the news agency PTI.
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He said they are tracking the wolves using thermal drones and are trying to drive them towards deserted areas near the traps by setting off firecrackers and making noise.
Another official said that the teddy dolls being used by the forest department can be considered a form of false bait, similar to how scarecrows are used in fields to protect crops from birds.
Elephant Dung Helps Officials To Ward Off Killer Wolves
The forest department is also using elephant dung to drive away the wolves that have been terrorising Bahraich's Mahsi tehsil.
"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," an official said.
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"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.