BAHRAICH: In a bid to catch wolves, the forest department here has initiated an innovative effort using colourful teddy dolls soaked in children's urine as bait to capture them, a senior forest official said.
Over the past few months, the Bahraich region has been plagued by a series of attacks by wolves targeting children and villagers.
The forest department now has initiated an innovative effort by using brightly coloured "teddy dolls" as a false bait to capture these predators.
These dolls will be placed near the riverbanks, close to the wolves' resting places and dens, and are being soaked in children's urine to simulate the natural human scent.
"The wolves are constantly changing their locations. Typically, they hunt at night and return to their dens by morning. Our strategy is to mislead them and lure them away from residential areas towards traps or cages placed near their dens," Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told PTI.
Senior IFS officer Ramesh Kumar Pandey said that various types of bait are used to capture animals, including live bait, dead bait and false or masked bait. The teddy dolls being used by the forest department can be considered a form of false bait.
In recent months, a pack of wolves in the Mahsi Tehsil of Bahraich has become increasingly aggressive, with attacks intensifying since July.
According to official sources, the pack of six wolves has allegedly killed six children and one woman since July 17, while injuring numerous villagers.
Four of the six wolves have been captured, but two remain at large, continuing to pose a threat in the area. The forest department is actively searching for these wolves using both thermal and regular drones.