THENI
A herd of 10 goats belonging to Pichaimani of Munthal village near Bodi was found dead with injuries inside the Bodi West Reserve Forest on Wednesday. The herd had strayed into the forest area following bursting of crackers inside the village for a local temple festival.
The villagers suspected a leopard attack and informed the Forest Department.
“One of the 10 goats was eaten partly by some carnivore while the other goats had injuries sustained from falling on rocks. They could be bite injuries. Some carnivore must have chased the goats but we are yet to ascertain if it was a wild animal,” said S. Gowtham, District Forest Officer, Theni.
He added that it could be even stray dogs as the Forest Department has not come across any direct or indirect sightings of leopards in the area.
“The presence of tigers is also ruled out as we have not sighted the big cat in the past surveys. There were no pug marks seen near the site,” he said.
