Taipei County officials, police, and veterinarians are continuing their search for a mystery animal that killed ten goats in a farm in Linkou, Taipei County.

The owner of the farm, surnamed Hung, had reported to police on Friday that ten of his goats were killed on his farm by an unknown animal. An Indonesian laborer working for Hung who witnessed the attacks said that a tiger was the culprit.

However, veterinarians from the Taipei Zoo said that bite marks left on the goats and the animal's footprints near the scene indicate that it is not a tiger. The veterinarians said that the footprints left by the mystery animal is eight-centimeters long while a Tiger's footprint is usually between 10 to 11 centimeters long. They added that felines usually do not extend their claws when they walk, and thus will not leave claw marks on the ground.

The veterinarians said that the bite marks on the goats are between three-to-eight-centimeters long while a tiger's bite mark is typically more than six centimeters, ruling out the possibility that the mystery animal is a tiger.

County officials said that the animal might be a large-sized dog as there used to be a dog-fighting ring near the farm where the goats were killed. Taipei County chief Chou Hsi-wei said yesterday that the county government is advising to beware of their safety when entering the farm in Linkou and officials are keeping a close watch on the whereabouts of large animals in the nearby mountains. Officials said they are searching for dogs near the area that are large enough to be able to carry out such attacks on the ten goats.

Chou said that the county government has installed surveillance cameras at the farm and are setting up large cages to capture the animal.