Police on the hunt

India: Wolf pack alleged to have killed 9 people

Symbolic image

(Bild: APA/dpa-Zentralbild/Patrick Pleul)

In India, more than 150 police officers are hunting a pack of wolves that is said to have killed nine people, eight of them children. "Catch the wolves at any cost," was the order issued by the head of the Uttar Pradesh state government on Monday.

In addition to armed forces and dozens of forest officials, drones are also being used in the search, according to Renu Singh from the state forest department. According to the information, four animals have been captured so far.

The fatal wolf attacks have occurred over the past two months. Most recently, a six-year-old was attacked outside his parents' house on Sunday, but his mother was able to save him at the last minute.

Frightened residents keep vigil
In northern Uttar Pradesh, frightened residents are now keeping vigil, using guard dogs and setting off firecrackers to keep the predators away. Some villagers also set fire to elephant dung or set traps with children's urine, local media reported.

According to experts, wolves only attack humans or livestock as a last resort if they cannot find anything else to eat. However, gamekeepers said that floods caused by torrential rain had flooded the wolves' territory and driven them into more populated areas.

The floods had caused a "scarcity" that had led the wolves to "take risks they would not otherwise contemplate", Ajeet Kumar Singh, who is taking part in the wolf hunt, told the Times of India newspaper.

The grassland plains of Bahraich district lie about 50 kilometers south of the border with Nepal, where dense forests cover the foothills of the Himalayas. The majority of the 3000 or so wolves living in India survive outside protected areas, often in close proximity to humans.

Habitat of wolves is shrinking
However, the number of wolves has declined due to shrinking habitats and a lack of prey. The recent attacks have sparked hysteria in the neighboring state of Bihar. For example, a mob beat a jackal to death, mistaking it for a wolf.