Boy Injured in Animal Attack in Bahraich, Hours After CM Yogi’s Visit to Wolf-Affected A

Bahraich (UP): A 12-year-old boy was severely injured by an unidentified wild animal in  Bahraich's Mahasi tehsil, just hours after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the area, which has been terrorised by wolves. Villagers claimed the attack was by a man-eating wolf, though forest officials dispute this, suggesting the involvement of another animal.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh stated on Monday that at around 2:30 am, a 12-year-old boy named Imran, son of Mohammad Umar from Piprimohan village, was injured by an unknown animal.

"Upon inspecting the scene, we found no wolf tracks. The footprints we did find did not match those of a wolf," Singh said.

The incident comes after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Mahasi area on Sunday, which has been plagued by wolf attacks. He emphasized that shooting the wolves would be a last resort. The Chief Minister also conducted an aerial survey and met with families who have lost loved ones in recent wolf attacks, assuring them that the Forest Department will remain in the area until it is safe.

During his visit, Adityanath specifically went to Sisaiya Chunanmani village, one of the areas hardest hit by the attacks.

Recalling the latest incident, Imran’s father, Mohammad Umar, said, "We were sleeping on the roof when a wolf attacked my son. He screamed, and when people gathered, the wolf fled." Umar added that his son was severely injured and taken to the hospital.

However, DFO Singh noted that wolves and leopards typically do not attack from heights above their size. "Since the attack happened on a roof, it’s unlikely a wolf was responsible. We're investigating what animal caused the attack," he told PTI.

Imran was first treated at the Community Health Center in Mahasi. Dr. Talha Shamsi, the Medical Officer there, said the wounds on Imran's neck appear to be from an animal bite. He was later transferred to the district hospital and admitted to a special ward for wolf attack victims. Based on their assessment, Dr. Shamsi believes the attack was not caused by a wolf.

Dr. Shaheer Khan from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) also denied finding wolf tracks at the scene. Other local officials said drone inspections revealed the presence of two jackals in the area.

Since March, a pack of six wolves has terrorized residents across 50 villages in Mahasi tehsil, leading to the deaths of eight people, including seven children, and injuring over 30 others in suspected wolf attacks.

Following a rise in attacks after the onset of the monsoon on July 17, the authorities launched ‘Operation Bhediya’ to capture the wolves. So far, five of the six wolves have been caught, with one dying from heart failure. The remaining wolves were released into different wildlife sanctuaries. Only one wolf remains at large, and efforts are underway to capture it.

(With PTI inputs)