Wolf that mauled to death toddler in Bahraich shot dead

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said the predator, the female wolf aged around 2.5 years, was killed during a forest department operation in Babhanpurva area. “The team had been tracking the animal since the early hours. Acting on inputs from villagers and drone footage, it was spotted in a sugarcane field near Pradhan Purva. When our team tried to capture it, the wolf attempted to flee and was subsequently shot dead,” he said.

The wolf that mauled a 15-month-old girl to death in Bahraich early Sunday morning was tracked down and shot dead about 11 hours after the attack, forest officials confirmed. The latest incident has reignited terror across the region’s forest belt, which has witnessed a series of deadly wolf attacks in recent months.

DFO Ram Singh Yadav said the predator, a female wolf aged around 2.5 years, was killed during a forest department operation in Babhanpurva area. (For representation)

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said the predator, the female wolf aged around 2.5 years, was killed during a forest department operation in Babhanpurva area.

“The team had been tracking the animal since the early hours. Acting on inputs from villagers and drone footage, it was spotted in a sugarcane field near Pradhan Purva. When our team tried to capture it, the wolf attempted to flee and was subsequently shot dead,” he said.

The latest killing came after over 20 days of calm in the Kaiserganj area. Earlier on October 10, a series of wolf attacks had left five people injured.

The latest incident occurred around 5 am in Gurchawanpurwa hamlet of Kandauli gram panchayat, when the victim, Shanvi, daughter of Rakesh, was sleeping beside her mother on the verandah. The wolf entered the courtyard and dragged the child away into the darkness.

Forest and police teams launched a joint search operation, using drones and dog squads to trace the predator. Evidence, including pugmarks and blood samples, confirmed it was the same wolf responsible for previous attacks in the region.

The DFO said four wolves had been active in the area earlier. Two were killed and one was injured. The female shot dead on Sunday was suspected to be the fourth. The attack site was about 10 km from the riverbank, in a locality where wolves had not been sighted before.

Local village head Dileram said the killing had shattered the community’s fragile sense of security. “Earlier attacks were reported in Majhara Taukli, about 8-10 km away. After more than 20 days of peace, we thought the threat had ended, but this tragedy has brought fear back,” he said.

In the past two months, six people, including four children, had been killed and more than two dozen injured in wolf attacks in Bahraich. Sunday’s attack marked the seventh fatality before the predator was neutralised.

Officials said surveillance and patrolling have been intensified in nearby villages. “Drone monitoring and night patrols are being conducted continuously,” DFO Yadav said. Villagers, however, have demanded permanent security measures, including protective fencing and night-watch patrols.

Though the killing of the wolf has brought temporary relief, forest officials cautioned that another wolf may still be active in the area. For now, the residents of Bahraich’s riverbank villages remain on edge, hoping the latest operation finally ends the terror that has stalked their homes for months.