Wolf snatches 3-year-old boy sleeping next to mother, mauls him to death in UP

Bahraich (UP): A three year -old boy was brutally mauled to death by a wolf while sleeping next to his mother on the verandah of their house in Rasulpur Dareta village, Kaiserganj tehsil, Bahraich district on Monday morning, highlighting serious lapses in local administration and forest management.

Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav said the boy, Ansh, son of Shiv Manohar, was taken by the wild animal around 4:30 am and his mutilated body was found around noon, a kilometre from his home. "Both of the child’s hands and one leg had been eaten. The manner in which he was carried away confirms it was a wolf attack,' Yadav stated.

This tragic incident is part of a disturbing pattern in the Kaiserganj area, where 12 people, including an elderly couple, have already lost their lives and 32 others injured in wolf attacks. Villagers and experts have criticised the authorities for failing to implement long-term preventive measures despite repeated warnings.

While the forest department and district administration claim to be conducting patrolling, awareness campaigns, and rescue operations using cages, drones, and camera traps, residents say these measures are reactive and inadequate.

District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi has urged farmers in flood-prone areas along the Ghaghra river to harvest sugarcane quickly, prioritising crop protection over human safety. Critics argue that the government’s lack of proactive wildlife management and failure to ensure basic safety in vulnerable villages is endangering lives.

The repeated wolf attacks underscore the urgent need for a coordinated, long-term strategy from both state and central authorities to prevent further tragedies, rather than temporary measures and reactive statements after each incident.