Residents relieved as camera footage confirms dog, not leopard, killed farmer’s lamb at village in Kerala’s Kannur

Residents of Poyyamala, near Kottiyoor-Kelakam, in Kannur, Kerala, heaved a sigh of relief after camera footage confirmed that a dog, and not a leopard, was responsible for killing a farmer’s lamb on Thursday, validating the Forest department’s earlier conclusion.

The lamb belonging to Karakkattu Joseph was bitten to death by a domestic or feral dog according to the visuals captured by camera traps installed by the Forest department. The incident, which occurred a few days ago, had triggered panic in the village after it was initially assumed that a leopard was behind the attack.

Following the incident, residents and local representatives alleged a leopard attack and staged a protest, briefly detaining forest officials and demanding immediate action. However, based on an examination of bite marks and paw impressions, officials had assessed that the predator was not a leopard and could be a dog or possibly a wolf. A section of residents rejected this finding and intensified protest, prompting the department to install camera traps to establish the facts conclusively.

The footage later confirmed the presence of a dog at the site, ruling out the involvement of a wild predator. Forest officials said they are trained to determine the nature of such attacks by analysing paw prints, the size of the prey and the pattern of the attack.

Kannur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) S. Vysakh has urged the public to avoid speculation and refrain from drawing unscientific conclusions that could lead to unnecessary fear and misunderstanding.