Forest GM Sanjay Pathak slams rumours about wolves, warns of action if they don't stop

Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 9 : Forest General Manager Sanjay Pathak, has voiced his disapproval over false reports and rumours concerning the recent wolf attacks. Pathak criticised certain media outlets for misidentifying jackals as wolves, said, "Many media persons are running news without confirmation and calling jackals as wolves."
Pathak added that such misinformation disrupts operations and confuses the team. Despite installing snap cameras using thermal technology to track wolves, no wolves have been detected so far. Pathak explained that the normalising river water levels and dried-up banks might have led the wolves to return to their natural habitat, which could explain the absence of wolf attacks in the past 6 to 7 days.
He warned that while they are currently issuing warnings to those spreading rumours, further action may be needed. "If such rumours don't stop, we are considering asking the district administration and police to take necessary action," Pathak added.
Meanwhile, in the wake of wolf attacks, the Bahraich district administration has built shelter homes to protect the villagers from the menace. The district administration has converted the Panchayat Bhawan built earlier into a shelter home. In Chandpaiya village of Mahasi tehsil of Bahraich, the administration has converted the Panchayat Bhawan into a shelter home so that the villagers who do not have homes or houses with wooden doors can take shelter in these protected accommodations. Many people are living in these protected homes due to the fear of wolves and the dilapidated condition of their houses.
The people living in the Panchayat Bhawan shelter home narrated their ordeal about the terror of wolves that had spread in the village as they were forced to leave their homes and live here.
The supervisor at the shelter home said, "Here arrangements have been made for the villagers to stay. 7 to 8 people come here to stay. Some people have been staying for the last five days and others for the last 10 days. As the number of people will keep increasing, more arrangements will be provided. They are staying here due to fear and the poor condition of their homes. Here the MLA and panchayat officials are taking care. There is an adequate arrangement of drinking water and toilets."
So far four wolves have been caught. Drone visuals taken on Saturday morning at Harbaksh Purwa village showed a vast stretch of agricultural land under surveillance. On Saturday morning, 2-3 kilometres away from Harbaksh Purwa, forest officials conducted a search operation to capture the wolf as it was located here on Friday night with the help of thermal drones.