Bahraich, Oct. 14 -- Wild animal attacks continue to terrorise the Manjhara Taukli area under Kaiserganj tehsil of Bahraich district. On Monday morning, 40-year-old Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Babhanan Purva village, was attacked by a wild animal while leaving his home around 6 am. The animal suddenly emerged from a nearby sugarcane field and pounced on him. Hearing his cries, villagers rushed to the spot with sticks and managed to chase the animal away. Pradeep sustained an injury on his right shoulder and was taken to the local health centre, where he received first aid. Divisional forest officer (DFO), Bahraich, Dr RS Yadav, denied any wolf attack in the area on Monday and said intensive search operations were being carried out in the area. He said a wolf was sighted in drone footage two days ago. However, no sightings or pugmarks could be found on the ground. On Saturday, five persons including four children were attacked and injured in separate wolf attacks. Residents say that the attacks have been recurring for over a month. So far, six people, including four children, have lost their lives, and more than two dozen others have been injured in similar incidents. Wolf researcher and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist Dr Shaheer Khan said that India's wolves are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, offering them the same level of protection as tigers. However, he pointed out that most human-animal conflict incidents are caused by one or two specific individuals, not by the entire species. "In cases where a particular animal repeatedly attacks humans, the government can permit its elimination under special circumstances," he said. Dr Khan noted that several past incidents attributed to wolves were in fact caused by other animals such as dogs, jackals, or hyenas. "Even in Bahraich, many photographs released by the forest department show no definitive signs of wolf attacks," he added. According to him, most confirmed wolf attacks in India have involved child-lifting cases, whereas the recent incidents in Bahraich - including attacks on adults during daylight - are unusual and contrary to known wolf behavior. "Similar attacks were reported recently from Maharashtra, where 'rabid wolves' attacked multiple people before dying within a few days. Such behavior typically occurs in infected animals, not healthy wolves," he explained. Dr Khan emphasised that scientific verification is crucial to correctly identify the animal species involved in each attack. "I recommended last year, and again this year, that a swab or genetic sample must be collected from every attack site and sent to institutes like IVRI for forensic testing. This is the only way to confirm whether the attack was by a wolf, jackal, dog, or another species," he said. He added that the Bahraich case requires thorough research since the pattern of attacks does not align with typical wolf behaviour. "Without proper evidence, misidentification can lead to unnecessary panic and harm to conservation efforts," he warned....