BHUBANESWAR: What started in Khurda’s Balipatna about a month back has now snowballed into a full-blown “whodunit” in Cuttack’s Niali where close to 80 sheep have been hunted under mysterious circumstances.
The news of gutted sheep in villages of Niali block has not only spread panic among locals but also triggered rumour of a bizarre animal on the prowl. With photoshopped pictures of a monster-like animal doing the rounds on social media, three more fresh kills and two injured sheep on Sunday night sent rumour mills on the overdrive prompting Cuttack Police to issue warning of criminal action against such rumour mongers on Monday.
The word from Forest Department could settle the issue. The foot-prints and hunting pattern say it could be a pack of wolves. Although hyenas are not ruled out as the hunters, officials say, the scavengers are unlikely to kill multiple sheep at one strike and with such frequency.Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department Minister Damodar Rout also sought to clear the air saying that hyenas could be hunting the sheep and advised people not to believe in rumours.
The Cuttack District administration has directed formation of a special squad to keep a watch in villages bordering Bhanragarh and Balipatna reserve forests where such incidents have occurred.
Cuttack SP Madhab Chandra Sahu said village defence squads are being activated to watch the fringe areas and they have been advised to keep their domestic animals in closed confines.
Meanwhile, the City Forest Division is planning to install camera traps to ascertain the animals behind the killings. The post-mortem conducted on six sheep killed on June 20 also lends credence to the wild animal theory as nail and tooth marks were found on the carcasses of the sheep. Forest officials say yearlings of canidae family members could be part of the hunting as young ones do not know how to eat and target softer areas like belly of the prey.
A team of Animal Diseases Research Institute (ADRI), which visited Niali on Monday, echoed similar feelings.
It all started in Khurda Forest Division where such an incident was reported in Balipatna reserve forest. Traps were laid but in vain. Forest officials say the wild animals do not hunt at the same place. The distance between two sites is usually five km and more.