Bahraich, An 8-year-old boy was seriously injured in a suspected animal attack early Monday morning here, officials said.
The boy, who was allegedly dragged from his home by the animal, was found nearly a kilometre away with injuries to his neck and a severely mutilated left arm, they said.
The child is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital and is said to be out of danger. While villagers claimed the attack was carried out by a wolf, forest and health department officials are yet to confirm the species of the attacking animal.
Dr M M Tripathi, Chief Medical Superintendent of Bahraich District Hospital, told PTI, “The child, identified as Baur alias Ghanshyam, was brought in this morning with injuries from an animal attack. There are scratch marks on his neck and deep bite wounds on his arm which required stitches. His condition is stable and not life-threatening.”
According to the boy’s father, Sambhar, and uncle, Sagar, the child was sleeping in the courtyard with his mother when the attack happened in the village.
“Around 4 am, a wolf entered the courtyard and dragged him away. We woke up to the commotion and chased after the animal. We found him injured about a kilometre away,” they said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh, in a video statement, said the animal dragged the child from outside the house.
“We were informed between 4:30 and 5 am and immediately reached the site with staff. The child was located with the help of villagers and taken to the hospital. The boy is mentally and physically challenged, he cannot walk,” the DFO said.
He added, “Due to wheat harvesting in the fields, we were unable to trace any pugmarks. Only one woman from the village claimed to have seen an animal dragging a child. Nobody else saw the animal. Based on the circumstances, we suspect it may belong to the dog family, but further investigation is ongoing.”
The forest department has decided to install camera traps in the surrounding areas to monitor wildlife activity. “We will not leave any stone unturned in identifying the animal and ensuring safety,” Singh added.
The incident occurred in a region previously declared a “wildlife disaster zone” by the Uttar Pradesh government due to a spate of wolf attacks last year.
Between July and October 2023, a wolf pack was believed to be responsible for nine deaths, including eight children, and around three dozen injuries in 50 villages along the Ghaghra river basin.
The forest department had then managed to rescue five wolves while another was killed by villagers.
Recalling the severity of past incidents, DFO Singh said, “Today’s attack took place in the same region that saw intense wolf activity last year. Although there is no confirmation yet that a wolf was involved this time, we are taking the matter very seriously.”
Earlier, in September last year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had conducted an aerial survey of the affected region, visited victims’ families, and distributed relief materials and compensation.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.