Operation Bhediya: Bahraich Forest Officials Hunt for Last ‘Killer’ Wolf
Forest officials in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, are working hard to capture the last of six wolves responsible for killing nine people and injuring 50 since July. Under ‘Operation Bhediya,’ the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department has already captured five wolves.
Efforts to Capture the Last Wolf
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Bahraich, Ajit Singh, explained that rising water levels have narrowed the wolf’s movement area, aiding their search. Singh said, “There was no water in these farms. And it has not been raining, yet water is rising in these farms. So, this has narrowed its (wolf’s) area of movement. Now, we can ask the residents here and find out which areas never get affected by rising water and flood-like situations. And carry out our search operation there.”
He also mentioned the possibility that the wolf could have been relocated due to the flood-like situation, making the search more challenging. However, he assured that the team is trying their best and searching the whole area.
Monitoring Wolf Activity
The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department has installed snap cameras at most of the probable habitats of wolves in the area to monitor any movement by them. Three snap cameras have also been installed in Sikandarpur village around six caves, which local villagers claim to be the habitat of the wolves.
So far, nine people have been killed and more than 50 people have been injured due to the attacks by the wolves in various villages of Bahraich.
Doubts Revealed
Operation Bhediya -: ‘Operation Bhediya’ is a special mission by forest officials to catch dangerous wolves. ‘Bhediya’ means wolf in Hindi.
Bahraich -: Bahraich is a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It’s where the forest officials are trying to catch the wolves.
Forest officials -: Forest officials are people who work to protect forests and wildlife. They make sure animals and plants are safe.
Uttar Pradesh -: Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. It has many cities and villages, including Bahraich.
Divisional Forest Officer -: A Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) is a senior official in charge of managing forests in a specific area. Ajit Singh is the DFO in this story.
Snap cameras -: Snap cameras are special cameras that take pictures automatically when they detect movement. They help officials see where the wolves are.