Forest Department officials who went to the spot to enquire into rumours of the killing of goats by a leopard on Monday morning found that the animals — three goats and six lambs — were killed by street dogs in Thurayeri village in Chettiappanur village panchayat near Vaniyambadi.
K. Selvaraj, District Forest Officer, Vellore, who is the DFO-in charge of Tirupattur said that local veterinary doctors confirmed that the animals were killed by street dogs.
M. Rafeeque Ahmed, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), who went to the spot, said that the street dogs had mauled the animals which were kept in the cattle shed of a house in the village.
A leopard would attack only the neck portion of a goat or lamb and eat the flesh. In this case, the animals were badly mauled and parts of the flesh were found strewn around in the area. This behaviour of the killer animal ruled out the killing by a leopard. The doctors after analysis of the injuries confirmed that the animals were mauled to death by stray dogs.
The presence of foot prints of dogs in the village helped to doubly confirm the killing by dogs, he said.
The ACF said that when the team went to the village, some villagers destroyed the footprints of the dogs in order to prop up their allegation that the animals were killed by a leopard with the intention of claiming compensation.
Some villagers destroyed the footprints of the dogs in order to prop up their allegation
