The carcasses of seven sheep and three goats found at Keezhbalur village in Gudiyatham taluk have triggered a leopard scare among the villagers.
Wild dogs
However, personnel of the Forest Department said there were no signs that a leopard had entered the village and the animals could have been killed by wild dogs or stray dogs.
The villagers found the 10 animals dead with bite marks on Sunday morning. On receiving information, personnel attached to the Ambur Forest Range led by R. Rajkumar, range officer, rushed to the spot. A doctor from the Animal Husbandry department also inspected the spot.
No pug marks
'“There were no pug marks of the leopard in and around the village. The veterinary doctor took a look at the carcasses. Wild dogs or stray dogs could have attacked the animals and killed them. There were bite marks on various parts of the bodies of the animals,” said an officer of the Forest department.
He said a carnivore usually attacks one animal at a time and carries its prey along. However, in this case, 10 animals were attacked, bitten randomly and left at the spot.
The Palalakuppam Reserve Forest was a kilometre away from the village. The officer said they will have to wait for the post mortem report. A similar incident was reported at Thuraieri near Vaniyambadi a few days ago.
