With the help of a forester, the villagers placed a bait, a goat, in a sugarcane field, where the wolves were frequently spotted.
The ongoing hunt for man-eater wolves in the Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) saw a significant development on Tuesday when the locals, along with a few watchers, managed to capture the fifth wolf near Sisaiya Churamani area. This breakthrough came after a series of attacks by the pack of six man-eater wolves in Mahsi tehsil area in which 10 people including a woman and 9 children were killed and over 50 were injured. People said they opted for the traditional ‘Haaka Method’ to capture the elusive predator.
The forest officials have confirmed that one wolf is still at large. “Of the pack of six wolves, which was spotted earlier in a drone shot, the fifth wolf got caught on Tuesday morning. In the catch, the villagers played a crucial role. However, one man-eater wolf is still at large, the efforts are on to capture the sixth and the last wolf. So far, we have trapped five wolves in separate operations,” said Ajit Pratap Singh, divisional forest officer Bahraich.
How Villagers Used Haaka Method to Capture The Wolf
Parallel to the forest department’s ‘operation bhediya’, the locals, with the help of a couple of foresters, launched their own operation, on Monday night. In an intense eight-hour operation, villagers from Mahsi tehsil in Bahraich successfully trapped a man-eater female wolf using the traditional ‘Haaka method’. With the help of a forester, they placed a bait, a goat, in a sugarcane field, where the wolves were frequently spotted.
“When the goat disappeared, pug marks confirmed it was a wolf. We quickly surrounded the field with nets on three sides and, following the traditional ‘Haaka method,’ formed a human chain on the fourth side. We began shouting to force the animal to run towards the net,” explained Kanhaiya Lal, a local involved in the capture.
The female man-eater wolf was finally trapped around 6:15 am after which the villagers handed over the predator to the forest officers.
On August 29, the UP Forest Department had managed to trap the fourth wolf. Over 250 personnel, including 150 forest officials, have been deployed by the forest department and district administration to manage the situation. The department has set up four traps and have been utilising three thermal drone cameras to track the remaining wolf.
The man-eater wolves have caused widespread panic, keeping more than 50,000 residents in 25-30 villages of the Hardi area of Mahsi tehsil on high alert. The efforts continue as authorities strive to bring the situation under control.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued an urgent advisory, directing authorities to take all necessary measures to capture the man-eater wolves terrorising several districts. “Required steps should be taken to catch the wolves at all costs,” the Chief Minister stated, emphasising the need for a coordinated effort among various departments.
