Leopards kill 14 sheep at village in Chikkaballapur

CHIKKABALLAPUR : Fourteen sheep were killed when two leopards attacked two sheep pens at Yellodu village in Gudibanda taluk of Chikkaballapur district in the early hours of Thursday.
The leopards attacked the pens belonging to Shiva Reddy around 2am. There were around 20 sheep and a goat in them.
According to tahsildar Sibgath Ulla, t he village is situated by the side of a thick forest and hilly terrain.Around 11pm on Wednesday, some villagers in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh spotted a couple of leopards, which were chased away by stray dogs. The big cats fled and are suspected to have c ome to Yellodu. Reddy owns 35 sheep and had put the m up in three sheds with huge wooden logs placed at their entrance. The leopards are suspected to have attempted to jump over the logs to enter the pens. They subsequently climbed the rooftop of a neighbouring house and jumped on the herd.
Hearing the goat bleat, Reddy’s wife woke up and rushed out. On seeing the leopards, she threw the wooden logs at them and they fled. While the leopards killed 14 sheep, six more survived with injuries and were treated in hospital. The goat was unhurt.
The tahsildar said Reddy suffered an estimated loss of Rs 1 lakh and will be compensated.