Eight goats were killed in a stray dog attack in a village near Vellakovil in Tirupur district late on Thursday night, triggering protests from farmers who alleged that stray dogs abandoned in urban areas were posing a serious threat to both locals and farmers in rural villages.
Officials said farmer V M Gunasekaran, 52, of Sivanathapuram West Thottam near Vellakovil, owned 80 goats. On Friday morning, he found eight goats dead, four with severe injuries, while one was missing.
Angered by the repeated attacks and mounting losses, farmers initially planned to take the carcasses to the district collector's office as a mark of protest, and to demand adequate compensation. However, officials from the animal husbandry department conducted inspections at the site and held talks with the affected farmers.
P Velusamy, president, PAP water conservation association, said Tirupur district alone accounts for nearly seven lakh goats in Tamil Nadu. “For the past three years, stray dog attacks have been causing continuous livestock losses, severely affecting the livelihood of farmers,” he said. He added that farmers had submitted a complaint to the police on May 23 regarding stray dogs abandoned from urban areas in Kangayam and Vellakovil regions. Farmers also expressed concern over inadequate compensation, stating that while goats are valued between Rs 12,000 and Rs 30,000 in the market, the existing relief amount of Rs 6,000 was insufficient.
Officials assured farmers that pending compensation would be disbursed soon and future relief would be based on market value assessed by veterinary doctors. Farmers withdrew their protest following the assurance.
Earlier this month, 14 goats were killed in stray dog attacks in two villages near Kangayam.
