Residents of Chappamalai near Kottiyoor in the district had a sleepless night after the carcass of a pet dog was found in a house.
Though the villagers feared that the dog could have been killed by a leopard, which had ventured out from a nearby forest, Forest officials ruled it out.
The half-eaten carcass of the dog was found in the house of one Sunil Kodaikkal on Friday night. The incident reportedly happened when Mr. Sunil and his family were away from home.
Meanwhile, the villagers claimed that more than a dozen pet dogs had been killed in leopard attacks in the past one year. They also complained that the Forest Department had declined to register cases.
When contacted, Divisional Forest Officer P. Karthick said leopard attacks were yet to be confirmed in the area, as pug marks had not been found.
“We cannot say for sure that the dog was killed by a leopard. There are no traces of leopards in the area. However, vigil has been heightened,” he said.
The official added that monitoring had been strengthened in the region. Besides, the department is also considering installing a camera trap to ascertain whether leopards are present in the area.
