Panic as dogs go wild in Orissa

Much like a plot from some ghoulish film, stray dogs in Orissa towns seem to be taking on characteristics of their feared wild cousins called dholes, hunting in packs and preying on humans and domestic animals.

Much like a plot from some ghoulish film, stray dogs in Orissa towns seem to be taking on characteristics of their feared wild cousins called dholes, hunting in packs and preying on humans and domestic animals.

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The 80,000-odd dogs in Bhubaneswar and its twin city Cuttack are creating havoc as they roam the streets attacking people and even feeding off domestic animals.

According to Wildlife Society of Orissa secretary Biswajit Mohanty, new behavioural trends are surfacing, resulting often in tragic consequences for the residents of the two towns.

Garbage heaps and offal thrown by hundreds of meat shops on the roadside have lead to an abundant food supply, which has resulted in a dog population explosion.

"The rise in numbers has emboldened them and they have started imitating their forest cousins, the wild dogs. The dholes of the Indian forests are much-feared predators, which hunt in packs and are able to bring down large animals like sambhar and spotted deer," Mohanty added.