CUTTACK: After a brief lull, mass killings of sheep have resurfaced in Niali block in the district.Villagers have alleged that since Saturday an unknown animal have started killing their sheep in the area. On Tuesday night, at least 14 sheep were attacked and killed in Nua Babaja and Adaspur villages.The killing spree of sheep by mysterious animal/s was first reported in June this year. In two months time, over 250 sheep were killed in the Niali region. The state government had deployed forest officials, experts from Simlipal National Park and Dehradun to catch the predator animal. Despite the massive operation, the killer predator was not caught then.After three months, the killing of sheep has again started in the region. Sheep farmers are in a state of shock and fear after resurgence of the incident. "We sustained huge losses after our sheep were killed by unknown animal in June. We were not compensated also. With much difficulty we started our lives again and see the predator has come again to haunt us," said Nilamani Das , a sheep farmer. Sheep farmers are guarding their sheep sheds all night.Forest officials are also camping in their area but they are yet to get any clue about the killer animal. "It seems as no more crops is left in the fields, the animal/s have again ventured into the villages in search of food. We are trying our best to catch the killer animal," said a forest official.

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