Tigiria/Badasahi: Even as there is no let-up in sheep killings in the state, eight more were found dead in Tigiria of Cuttack district and Badasahi of Mayurbhanj district Wednesday.
Four sheep were killed and three were missing at Panchagaon, Talasahi in Tigiria. The mystery animal(s) entered the sheep pen of farmer Sisir Behera and killed four out of the eight sheep late Tuesday night. The carcasses were found in the morning from various parts of the village.
A large sheep with its intestines tore apart was found dead at an isolated place in between Panchagaon and Nijigad villages.
This led to suspicion that the animal(s) after killing the sheep might have escaped to the nearby hills. After a hectic search, Behera found one of his missing sheep while three others are yet to be traced. The incident has triggered panic among the villagers.
Athagarh DFO Gour Gopal C and Tigiria forester Shantanu Kumar Majhi along with a team took stock of the situation.
The team believed the animal might be a wild dog, a jackal or a hyena. Veterinarian Dr Dharmananda Mohanty conducted the post-mortem of the carcasses.
None of the villagers claimed to have seen the animal(s), when enquired by the team.
Locals feel the animal(s) might have strayed into the village from Sorishapala reserve forest.
In the other incident at Aguada village under Badasahi block, four sheep were killed while three others were mauled by wild animals Tuesday night.
According to reports, under the cover of darkness, the mystery animals strayed into the livestock pen of Dillip Mohant and dragged away four sheep to a nearby playground at 10.30 pm.
Two persons, who were returning to the village on a bike, encountered the animals. However, as the headlight of the bike flashed on them, the animals grabbed one of the dead sheep and started running. The bikers could not muster courage to follow the animals that were ferocious in nature. The duo then intimated the matter to the villagers.
In the morning, Dillip found four of his sheep missing. Remnants of two carcasses were found in the playground while two others were missing. Livers of the two sheep were missing.
Panicked villagers apprehend that the mystery animals would again attack the sheep.
Worried over the safety of over 300 sheep in the village, the residents demanded that the forest department take all necessary measures in this regard.
Betanoti ranger Saroj Kumar Mohanty said steps are being taken to trace the animals. Night patrolling will be mounted to keep tabs on the animals, he added. PNN
