Sitapur dog attack: Expert says it could be a wolf

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 12 :  After two more children were attacked by dogs in Sitapur district's Khairabad town in the last 12 hours, a local animal rights activist has said that a wolf could be behind the menace which is plaguing the district for past six months.

Vivek Sharma on Friday said based on the description his team has received from the locals, a wolf, not dogs, could be behind the attacks on children in the district.

"Five of our people went there and researched. (They) spoke with witnesses and registered their description. Their description depicts that it was a wolf. None of the locals said that it was done by a dog," Sharma told ANI.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Sitapur yesterday and met family members of the children who have been attacked.

The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the dead victims and Rs 25,000 for the injured children.

The menace began on May 1, when stray dogs began to attack children in Sitapur and adjacent areas. To tackle the issue, the Sitapur administration had called a dog catcher team from Mathura but it was later sent back.

Since November, 12 kids have reportedly been killed and several others have been injured in such attacks.

The administration has announced that drones and night vision binoculars would be used to track the dogs and observe their activities.