(IN):‘Canine’ bite terrorises town- - ‘Mystery’ animal attacks 34 in Hailakandi in a week; residents clueless

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Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081119/jsp/guwahati/story_10131160.jsp

'Canine' bite terrorises town

- 'Mystery' animal attacks 34 in Hailakandi in a week; residents clueless

 

OUR BUREAU

 

Hailakandi/Silchar, Nov. 18: Is it a dog? Is it a hyena? Is it a leopard?

 

A mysterious animal is stalking Hailakandi in south Assam, attacking 34

persons in the past week itself. But strangely, no one has any clue as to

what the creature is.

 

The forest department today deployed personnel in localities to identify and

neutralise the animal, which has terrorised the residents of the town.

 

The Hailakandi Municipal Council yesterday asked all dog-owners to have

their pets registered within two days or else they would be " seized " .

 

All the attacks on humans have come after sunset and at places where there

are fewer people. With more and more people being attacked, the residents

here are already pressing the panic button.

 

Those who have been attacked said even before they could realise what was

happening, the animal escaped from the scene, leaving them with bleeding

wounds on legs, hands and even the neck.

 

Sanju Deb, a 32-year-old state government employee, said he was attacked a

few days ago on a deserted road at Natunpara at around 9pm when he was

returning home from the market.

 

" Only when I felt an acute pain on my right leg did I realise that I had

been attacked. The animal, from what I could make out, resembled a dog. It

fled towards the bushes by the side of the road. When I reached home, I saw

tooth marks on my injured leg, " he said today.

 

There are different versions about the size and shape of the animal.

 

While many said that the animal could be a dog, others believed that it was

a leopard. Some even suggested that the animal could be a hyena.

 

Hailakandi district forest officer Sabyasachi Sinha said the forest

department was trying to trace the animal behind the attacks, adding that a

" minuscule hyena population was present in Assam " .

 

Doctors at the Hailakandi SK Roy Civil Hospital said all the 34 persons were

administered anti-rabies and anti-tetanus injections as a precautionary

measure.

 

" The wounds showed big teeth marks of canines. It is difficult to ascertain

the exact animal from such wounds, " one of the doctors at the hospital said.

 

The localities from where the attacks have been reported are Lakshmi Sahar,

Bachairkhal, Hartbartganj Bazar, Tool Road, Ashram Road and Natunpara.

However, the first attack was reported from Serispore Tea Estate area,

around 10km from Hailakandi town about a week back.

 

" Since then, the attacks have intensified. But no one knows what is

attacking them, " Sinha added. He said forest department personnel have been

deployed to identify the animal.

 

Ranu Debnath, a 50-year-old housewife, said she had come out of the house on

Sunday night at around 9pm when " something " bit her on the hand. The animal

fled when I screamed. Then I found blood oozing out of the wound, " she

added.

 

The drama took an interesting turn yesterday when the MLA of Algapur, Rahul

Roy, arrived in Hailakandi town with around 50 tea garden labourers to hunt

down the animal. However, four hours of search throughout the town's

secluded and forest areas yielded no result. There was no sign of the

" mysterious " animal.

 

The team, during their search, even burst crackers, but they only managed to

scare some stray dogs out of their hiding.

 

" I tried to help because some people came to me and sought my help. But even

after carrying out a search, we found nothing, " Roy said today.

 

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