Wolf attacks in Bahraich: As many as four children have been killed and 16 injured in wild animal attacks, suspected to be wolves, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district this month — a chilling reminder of similar incidents that haunted the region last year.
The body of one of the children is still missing. All those injured are adults, except for one child.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Bahraich, conducted an aerial survey of areas affected by the attacks, and met families of the deceased. He directed the Forest department to capture the wolf responsible for recent attacks and, if that fails, to call shooters to eliminate it for public safety.
Announcing compensation, the CM said that families of deceased children have been given Rs 5 lakh each. He also instructed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured and to immediately provide Rs 50,000 in relief to each affected family through MPs and MLAs.
He further instructed the administration to provide shelter to those without pucca houses. Doors should be installed where missing, and toilets should be constructed immediately where lacking. He directed arrangements for lighting and administering anti-rabies vaccines to the injured.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducts an aerial survey of the wolf-affected areas in Bahraich district pic.twitter.com/Q6fWx7EJDI
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2025
To improve security at night, Adityanath said 1,437 LED streetlights, 660 regular streetlights, and 91 solar lights have been installed across the area.
The CM directed all 21 task forces to maintain round-the-clock vigilance and ordered intensified police patrolling, noting that Manjhla Taukli village faces the greatest threat. Alongside, the Forest Department has constituted six special teams under senior officers, while the power and police departments have intensified patrolling.
The attacks began on September 9, when a child was killed at Paragpurwa village. On Thursday night at Bhabhanpurva village, a minor boy was attacked. The following morning, a woman on her way to the fields was also targeted. However, she raised an alarm and villagers working nearby rushed to her aid with sticks, forcing the wolf to flee.
The attacks have occurred in a 15-km radius in Mahsi and Kaiserganj tehsils of Bahraich; a major portion of the affected area is in Kaiserganj.
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Forest officials also said the wolves’ behaviour this year appears to be different from last year. Unlike earlier incidents, when the attacks mostly happened at night, the animals are now targeting people during the day as well — making the situation even more alarming for residents. Bahraich Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav confirmed that the animals’ behaviour this time is unusual and could be due to several factors.
Thermal cameras and drones deployed by the forest department had detected four wolves active in the affected area. “There may be more than one wolf involved in the attacks. All efforts are being made to capture the animals, and teams have been deployed across the affected area, which covers a radius of about 10 km,” said Yadav.
Meanwhile, attacking the government, Samajwadi Party president and former CM wrote in a post on X, “Somewhere a wolf, somewhere a leopard, somewhere a python, somewhere a bull… For the atmosphere of terror that prevails in UP, will the BJP government do something about it, or will it just shrug it off by saying that no animal footprints have been found? For those who are being attacked, aren’t the marks on their injured bodies enough, or the wounds of those whose children are being carried away by the animals?”
Precautions in place
According to forest officials, extensive precautionary and security measures have been put in place in the affected villages and the area has been divided into zones to aid the search.
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Officials said several teams from both the range and divisional levels have been deployed to capture the wolves.
Locals have also started round-the-clock patrols and are advising families not to let children sleep outdoors or send them out alone. The elderly are advised to move in groups.
Hoardings have been put up at schools, markets, and government buildings, explaining the precautions to be taken.
In September last year, a pack of wolves killed eight people, mostly children, and injured 18 others in Mahasi tehsil of the district. The Forest Department had then launched ‘Operation Bhediya’, during which six wolves purportedly linked to the attacks were captured.
