Odisha village under CCTV scanner to spot mystery animal

Bhubaneswar:  Forest Department is all geared up to catch the mysterious creature that has created panic among the locals in Niali area of Odisha’s Cuttack district by killing a large number of sheep in the last 45 days.

While the Forest Department suspects the killer to be either wolves or jackals, it will install five CCTV cameras within two days in that area to identify the killer animal, informed Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) S S Srivastava to reporters.

“It appears that the animal is not big it’s a small animal. These animal/animals can hide behind tall grass/bushes since the area has huge stretches of wasteland. We are going to start an operation in that area,” Srivastava said.

“Already three squads of our department have been deployed there. Two of these squads are from City Division and one is from Khordha Division. There are about 50 men in these squads. We will use crackers to disturb the animal/ animals to come out from their hideouts. When they start scurrying we will be able to identify them. We will install CCTV cameras in forested area. Then we will decide on laying traps or set up cages to catch the animal,” he added.

“We will use loudspeakers to create awareness among the locals where such incidents have taken place. We will advise them to keep their sheep in relatively safe places with lights on. Since wild animals do not attack in lighted areas, blinking LED lights can be a better choice,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) City Division, Prasanta Kumar Mishra.

Animal Husbandry Minister Damodar Rout today again reiterated his statement that the suspected killer is a wolf or a pack of wolves.

“Niali area has a large number of betel vineyards. Wolves are using these vineyards to hide in the daytime and are killing sheep in the night. Sheep are docile animals; other domesticated animals like cattle and goats have horns so they are not being attacked. Since it is a wild animal Forest Department and Animal Husbandry Department is jointly making efforts to catch the animal,” said Rout today.