Farmers in India are on edge after a number of sheep were attacked and killed by a mysterious creature which may be the same beast that went on a rampage last year. A local newspaper report detailing the latest developments may capture the concern best with a subheadline that boldly and simply states "return of the monster." The inspiration for that declaration is an incident earlier this week when an unidentified predator killed two sheep and injured several others.
The solitary attack might have been dismissed as simply an odd occurrence, except that the beast's affinity for the blood and intestines of its prey is reminiscent of a series of similar attacks that struck a region of India last year. In that rather astounding case, more than 150 sheep were slain by a mystery creature over the course of just a few months. And, since the culprit behind the killings was never caught, many fear that, as the ominous newspaper report stated, the monster has returned.
For their part, authorities are trying their best to minimize any potential panic over the perceived return of the creature, suggesting that this recent attack was the work of a hyena. However, the famer who lost his sheep vehemently disagreed with that assessment. "A hyena cannot attack so many sheep at a time," he said, noting that the mystery animal is made all the more maddening by the fact that it does not seem to leave behind any footprints.
As we saw last year with the notorious hair-cutting ghost that plagued the country, it likely would not take much for a full fledged hysteria to hit the region if more sheep fall victim to the beast. And so, no doubt, both farmers and wildlife officials are keeping their fingers crossed that this recent attack was an isolated incident. Otherwise, we may be seeing the start of a proverbial sequel to the story of the mystery creature that laid waste to so many sheep last year and, if Hollywood has taught us anything, it'll be even hungrier this time around.