KABUL, Dec 10, (Xinhua): Seven people were injured in a rare wolf attack in a village in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, late Tuesday night, a local health official said Wednesday, highlighting growing concerns over the impact of environmental degradation on wildlife behavior. The incident occurred when a hungry wolf entered a residential area in Surubi Sasma region of Naziyan district, attacking villagers and wounding seven individuals, according to Naqibullah Rahimi, spokesman for the provincial public health department.

All the injured were rapidly taken to a nearby health facility for treatment, Rahimi said. The attack comes amid a surge in human-wildlife conflicts as harsh winter conditions force predators, including wolves and leopards, down from Afghanistan's rugged mountains into populated areas in search of food. Earlier, a leopard carried out a nocturnal raid on a remote village in northern Badakhshan province, killing 45 sheep in a single assault on local herders' livestock a couple of days ago.