Panic-stricken Niali farmers keeping livestock inside homes

Niali: An eerie emptiness has engulfed the cowsheds and stables in Niali area which has seen more than 100 sheep being killed by a mysterious animal, and panic-stricken farmers are now sheltering their livestock inside their homes.

The headache for Sudarsan Behera, a farmer from Khulisa village after losing 3 sheep from a herd of 8 to the mysterious animal; is to ensure secure shelter for his remaining livestock. Similar concerns are dogging the villagers in and around Niali area who are being forced to keep their livestock inside their homes or are reinforcing their sheds and stables.

“Now I am keeping my livestock inside my house,” said Sudarsan.

“We are poor people and make a living out of rearing livestock. No one from the government has come to us. The MLA told us that the forest department officials will come here. Now we can’t even sleep,” said Tofan Parida, a resident of Nati Village.

“We are not being able to sleep out of fear. Now we are reinforcing our sheds to protect our livestock,” said Abhijit Pradhan of Sudhanagar village.

On the other hand, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) has written to the Wildlife Institute of India to identify the mysterious animal behind the killings.