In a significant development, the last wolf from a pack that terrorized Mahsi tehsil in Bahraich district was killed by villagers late Saturday night in Tamachpur village. This marks the end of a three-month campaign, dubbed 'Operation Bhediya,' aimed at capturing or neutralising the pack of six wolves responsible for several fatal attacks.
Officials confirmed that the wolf killed was an adult female, dispelling earlier speculations that one of the wolves was lame. The incident took place in the Ramgaon police station area when the wolf, while carrying away a goat, was surrounded and beaten to death by locals. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh said, "We received information late Saturday that a wolf had been killed in Tamachpur village. Upon arriving at the scene, we found the dead wolf and a goat's body. The wolf had injury marks and was bleeding."
He further added that the animal had been brought to the range office for a post-mortem examination. "The notion of a 'lame wolf' in the pack was incorrect," Singh clarified, putting to rest the rumors circulating in the region.
Villagers reported that the wolf had tried to attack a child sleeping in a courtyard but fled when the child's mother screamed. It then attacked a goat before being killed by the villagers.
This female wolf was the last of a pack of six that had been terrorising 50 villages in Mahsi tehsil since mid-July. The pack was responsible for the deaths of eight people, including seven children, and had injured more than 20 others. Four of the wolves had been rescued earlier in the district, and one was captured on September 10.
The operation, which began on July 17, saw coordinated efforts from local authorities and villagers to put an end to the menace that claimed several lives and instilled fear across the region. With the final wolf's death, the villagers and officials can now breathe a sigh of relief, although the scars left by the terror of these wolves will remain for some time.
