5-year-old girl injured in third consecutive wolf attack in UP's Bahraich

LUCKNOW: The wave of wolf attacks continues to terrorise the Hardi area of Bahraich district, with the latest victim being a five-year-old girl named Afsana.
In the early hours of Tuesday, Afsana was severely injured when a wolf attacked her while she was sleeping beside her grandmother at their home. The incident comes less than 24 hours after wolves killed a two-and-a-half-year-old girl and injured two women, marking the third consecutive attack in the region.
Afsana was rushed to the Community Health Centre Mahsi, where she is currently receiving treatment.Thanks to the quick response of her family members and neighbours, her life was saved. However, the wolf managed to escape from the village.
Kalim, a neighbour who was among the first to respond to the screams, recounted the terrifying ordeal. "As soon as we heard the family's cries for help, we rushed over and chased the wolf away, but it escaped. This is the first time a wolf has entered our village," he said.
Afsana's grandmother described the harrowing moment of the attack. "She was sleeping next to me and her father when suddenly, in the middle of the night, she screamed. We tried to save her, but we don’t even have a door in our house," she said, her voice shaking with fear and concern.
Ruby, Afsana’s mother, who was sleeping inside the house, recalled, "She was outside with her grandmother when she suddenly screamed. The wolf had caught her. We all screamed, and the neighbors came running. Fortunately, the wolf fled."
In response to the escalating danger, Ajeet Pratap Singh, the DFO of Bahraich, is leading a search operation in the village to capture the wolf.
Over 150 PAC personnel and 25 forest department teams have been mobilized, with six cameras and drones deployed to monitor the situation.
The ongoing threat has instilled fear in over 25,000 residents across 35 villages in the Mahsi tehsil. In a bid to protect themselves, villagers have formed patrol teams, armed with sticks and firearms, to guard their communities around the clock.