Bahraich/Lucknow, Sept. 13 -- Panic has gripped the Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district again after two children were killed and an elderly woman was grievously injured in wild animal attacks reported in the last four days. Last year, at least nine people, mostly children, were killed in wolf attacks in the area. The most recent incident occurred around 3 am on Friday in Bhauri Bahorwa village under the Baundi police station limits, where a wild animal snatched a three-month-old girl from her mother's lap when she was sleeping in the verandah. Hours later, the child's mutilated body was discovered nearly 600 metres away in a sugarcane field.At Babhnanpurwa hamlet in Majhara Taukli village, one Shiv Pyari, 65, was attacked when she was rearing her cattle on Thursday night. She was undergoing treatment at the Bahraich Medical College. On Tuesday, a five-year-old girl was killed in a similar attack by a wild animal in Paragpurwa hamlet of the same village. An overnight search with drones was launched. Her mutilated body was recovered from a sugarcane field the next morning. Divisional forest officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said samples had been collected for forensic testing to determine whether the killer was a wolf or some other wild animal, since locals reported spotting two leopards. However, no leopard footprints were confirmed yet, he added. The DFO explained that sugarcane fields spread across 50 kilometres in the area provided easy cover for wild animals to attack and hide. Since many houses were surrounded by these fields, children and elderly people were especially vulnerable, he added. Meanwhile, the forest department has installed three cages, three thermal drone cameras, and 25 CCTV cameras in the affected villages. Nine forest teams from Bahraich, along with reinforcements from Gonda and Shravasti, were conducting round-the-clock patrolling. The district administration has mobilised gram vikas adhikaris, lekhpals, and other revenue staff to spread awareness. Villagers are being urged not to sleep outdoors, to keep children indoors at night, and to immediately alert forest officials in case of suspicious animal movement. Plans for installing solar lights and forming youth vigilance groups are also under consideration.Between July and September of last year, nine people, mostly children, were killed and more than 60 others were injured in wolf attacks in Mahsi, after which the forest department captured six wolves. The forest department has decided to rope in experts from the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun to identify the animal that was responsible for the fresh attacks."We are trying to identify the animal. I have directed that scientific experts be roped in from WII, as was done last year," said Anuradha Vemuri, the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) in Uttar Pradesh.htc...