A wolf pack that has terrorized dozens of villages for weeks, killing seven children and one woman and leaving over 25 injured, has been tracked and captured by the Forestry Department in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, national media reported on Friday.
Four wolves were caught during a 72-hour operation conducted by 25 teams, with two still thought to be on the run. Both are under constant surveillance, according to authorities.
Advanced drone technology and tranquillizers have been used by forest department personnel and police to capture the animals. They will be then taken to zoos, according to reports.
Officials have also taken measures to secure the affected villages. This includes installing doors in houses that do not have them, as well as raising awareness among locals.
According to villagers interviewed by India Today, wolves have been entering homes and grabbing children. “I desperately tried to save him by pulling the wolf’s legs, but didn’t succeed. The wolf dragged Firoz about 200 meters into a field. When I raised an alarm, the villagers gathered, and the wolf eventually left him in the field in an injured condition. He was later taken to a hospital, where he was treated for 13 days and survived,” the mother of a seven-year-old boy told reporters.
Meanwhile, visuals of a wolf captured on Thursday have been released by news agencies.
Before the operation to hunt down the wolves, locals had started night patrols, which now have been expanded. Parents in the area have stopped sending their children to school, and women have been advised to stay indoors.
Conservationist Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala told India Today that cross-breeding of wolves with dogs could be a reason for the increased attacks.
“Such wolves are likely to lose their fear of humans, which could be dangerous in encounters with people,” Jhala argued. The absence of toilets in rural areas has also been blamed by experts for the scale of wolf attacks, as people, including children, use nearby fields.