“Catch them at all costs” • Mother woke up – then the son was in the wolf’s mouth
At least nine people, including eight children, are reported dead after wolf attacks in India, reports the Times of India.
Hundreds of police officers and drones have now been deployed to track the wolf pack.
– I woke up and saw my son in the animal’s mouth, says Gudiya, mother of one of the children who was killed, to the newspaper Times of India.
In northern India, nine people have been reported killed by wolves, eight of whom are children, in the past two months. Four of the wolves have been caught after extra efforts with hundreds of police and drones, but at least two in the pack are at large.
The latest attack took place on Sunday morning in Bahriach district. A six-year-old boy had fallen asleep on the family’s porch, as is common during the warm monsoon months, when the wolf bit his neck.
– I woke up and saw my son in the animal’s mouth. I acted instinctively and tore my son out with all the strength I could muster, the boy’s mother Gudiya told the Times of India newspaper.
Guard dogs and firecrackers will scare the wolves
According to wildlife experts, humans are the wolves’ last resort in times of starvation and the predators actually prefer less dangerous prey, such as antelopes. However, due to flooding from extreme downpours, the wolves have been driven away from their usual hunting grounds and into more densely populated areas.
In the Bahriach district, which is about 50 kilometers south of the border with Nepal, there is now great concern among the residents. Many lie awake at night terrified and have, among other things, resorted to guard dogs and firecrackers to scare away the wolves and feel safe.
The state’s prime minister: “Catch the wolves at all costs”
Local media also reports that some villagers have set fire to dried elephant poo around their homes in the hope that the smell from the large animal will scare away the wolves. Another trick adopted is to drench the children’s toy dolls in urine in an attempt to trick the wolves into traps.
On Monday, orders came from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office that all possible
“Catch the wolves at all costs”, they write in the order.
The attacks have created hysteria, and in the neighboring state of Bihar, a mob beat a jackal to death, believing the smaller animal to be a wolf.