BELAGAVI: A calf was severely injured after being attacked by a big cat at Kamalapurvada near Tirthkunde village of Khanapur taluk on Sunday evening.
According to the villagers, it was a tiger, but Forest Department officials maintain that it was a leopard. The calf belongs to one Navalu Bambu Gundre.
Gundre told Express that his mother Dondubai, accompanied by one Bhegubai Babu Patil, had taken the cattle for grazing when the incident took place. He said the women witnessed the attack and confirmed that it was a tiger.
“They started shouting and ran towards the calf. On seeing them, the tiger left the calf and disappeared,” he said.
Gundre said his dog was also missing and expressed suspicion that it must have been hunted down by the big cat. He said the predator had also attacked a buffalo, which escaped with minor injuries.
A team of Forest Department personnel, led by the Range Forest Officer from Khanapur, reached the spot on Monday morning. After inspecting the footprints, they confirmed it was a leopard. They said the tiger could have easily hunted the calf or buffalo, if it had targeted them. “Dogs are the favourite prey of leopards. A tiger would not have preferred a dog over cattle,” an official said.