Similipal team arrives in Niali to catch sheep killers

After the failure of local forest department personnel and a team from the Nadankanan Zoo in capturing the killer animals preying on cattle in Niali in Odisha's Cuttack district, a 20-member special team from Similipal National Park (SNP) arrived here today to catch the predators.
At least 200 sheep in over half-a-dozen villages of Niali block have been killed by wild animals in the last two months.
Agitated local residents have staged protests demanding compensation for the loss of their livestock.
A special team from Similipal will use drone cameras to trace and track the killer animals, which are believed to be either hyenas or wolves coming from nearby forests.

"We will first trace the hideouts of the killer animals using drone cameras and track their movements through CCTV cameras installed at several places," said Similipal DFO S K Swain.
The team is equipped with all facilities, including tranquiliser guns to sedate the wild animals Swain said adding, his team will catch the killer animals soon.
The district administration, along with Forest Department personnel have launched an awareness drive in the locality urging people not to believe the rumours spread over the deaths of sheep.