Bahraich, Apr 15 (PTI) An eight-year-old disabled boy died after he was allegedly attacked by a wild animal here, officials said Tuesday.

The child’s family and other villagers claim that the attack was carried out by a wolf but the Forest and Health departments are yet to confirm whether the attacker was indeed a wolf, another wild animal or a different species.

After the post-mortem of the child, identified as Ghanashyam, his family, along with villagers and officials from the Forest Department, conducted the child’s last rites on Tuesday afternoon.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh spoke to PTI and explained the incident.

“On Monday morning, at around 4 am, Ghanashyam, who was physically impaired with intellectual disabilities, was sleeping in the courtyard of his home in Sisaiya Churamani village in Hardi police jurisdiction,” Singh said.

“His family members were also sleeping outside the house. A woman raised an alarm, claiming a dog was taking someone’s doll. Later, it was discovered that an animal had attacked the child. When people rushed to the spot, the animal left the boy in an injured state and fled. However, no one was able to clearly identify the animal,” Singh said.

Singh confirmed that Ghanashyam was unable to move and had been physically impaired. “The post-mortem report has confirmed that the child died due to an animal attack,” Singh added.

He also shared that, in the past year, nine people had died from attacks by wolves and other animals in the region.

“Last year, eight of the nine families who lost loved ones to such attacks received Rs 5 lakh each from the Divine Disaster Relief Fund. However, one woman’s death could not be confirmed as a result of a wild animal attack, so her family did not receive compensation,” Singh said. “The government provides compensation in cases where the death is confirmed to have been caused by a listed wild animal.” Regarding Ghanashyam’s case, the DFO noted that the species of the animal is yet to be verified.

“An investigation has begun, and once the report is available, a decision will be made. In the meantime, we have deployed seven teams for patrolling and search operations. Thermal cameras are being set up at six potential locations to monitor wildlife activity,” he added.

The attack site is located in the same area that was severely affected by wolf attacks last year. Villagers are expressing concerns that similar panic might spread again, as they did last year when wolf attacks became rampant.

Notably, from July to October last year, thousands of people in 50 villages along the Ghaghara River in Mahsi tehsil were terrorized by wolf attacks. Nine people, including eight children, were killed in attacks by wolves and other animals, while about 36 people were injured.

According to the Forest Department, a pack of six man-eating wolves had been attacking the villages. After a large-scale operation involving hundreds of staff, shooters, drones and scientific methods, five wolves were captured, while one was beaten to death by villagers.

In response to the growing human-wildlife conflict, the Uttar Pradesh government declared the wolf-affected area in Bahraich as a “wildlife disaster zone.” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the region in September, offering comfort to the victims and distributing relief materials. The government had also provided compensation to the affected families to share their grief. PTI COR KIS HIG