Balipatna villagers kill hyena

BHUBANESWAR: The forest department has launched a manhunt to identify people who killed a hyena at Balipatna in Khurda district on Wednesday.
"We have registered a case under several sections of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The people responsible will be arrested soon," said Khurda divisional forest officer, Manoj Mohapatra.
A source at the forest department said the adult hyena had strayed into the village for food.The hyena had hidden behind a tree when people noticed it and tried to drive it away. "They then used sticks to beat it resulting in its death. We have recovered the carcass," Mohapatra added.
A senior forest officer said hyena is not a harmful animal and only eats animals that are already dead. "The animal could have walked back into the forest had it been left to itself," said the officer. Meanwhile, on Thursday, villagers discovered the carcass of a Royal Bengal Tiger at Chaulmunda village near the Balangir-Nuapada district border. The body was handed over to the forest department.