Wolf attack kills lady in Bharaich district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It has jolted the locals and brought the increasing problem of wildlife moving into people’s areas to the fore. This is a recurrent trend, as sources indicate that wolf attacks have become a common phenomenon in the region, and the residents are ready to face these attacks.
India:Increase in Cases Leading to Death
For the past 50 days, wolves have been hunting down people in the Bharuch district of India, with seven victims so far, including five children. These individuals face such risks in the semi-urban rural setup because they use open fields and forests as part of their domestic space. That has created a climate of insecurity among the populations, particularly in villages in the neck of the woods. Once in a while, some of the male terrorists escape along the forested terrains south of these villages.
The never-ending strikes have created an atmosphere of panic that causes individuals to not engage in any outdoor activities in the early mornings or late evenings. However, it is the loss of very young children that essentially has the nation in distress and cries for intervention from the Government have filled the air.
Social Media and Political Engagement
The gravity of the problem drew a national focus when an India journalist of repute took to social media to report on how the number of deaths as a result of wolf attacks was increasing every day. The post had a video in it, which captured BJP MLA Sureshwar Singh making rounds of the troubled area holding a gun. This depiction of a political figure engaging on the ground, albeit in a crude fashion, has positively and negatively polarized the audience in the online arenas and has generated a lot of interactions.
The Sureshwar Singh video has emphasized the wider problem of the other authorities’ response to the crisis in question. The comments in the video and reaction in the previous paragraph show that whereas others find it acceptable for the MLA to go out of their way to help the public, others would want to know if this is a long-term solution to the water crisis.
What Actions Have Been Taken by the Government, and Why Is There a Need for Long-Term Solutions
A political figure often visible in the area sights a weapon, pointing to the situation’s gravity. This, too, begs the question of whether this measure is enough. Police patrols and community notification systems are relevant in such situations, but it has been proposed that more permanent solutions may also be necessary to avert further such events. These can be environmental changes, such as public education on avoiding human-wildlife conflict or constructing appropriate barriers that would preclude wolves from the villages.
The recurrent incidence of wolf attacks in Bharaich, a district in Uttar Pradesh, is a clear indication of the magnitude of wildlife abuse and wildlife-human conflicts. There seem to be protection measures for the people especially the local authorities, and even political leaders becoming actively involved in the safety of the people, a more proactive approach is a need. In the future, it will be necessary for the government to implement measures to protect people from such incidents and reduce the reasons that make such encounters between these animals and humans so common.
