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Hyena
A 41-year-old farmer was seriously injured in an attack by a wild animal in Jillalamudi village of Kandukur mandal in Prakasam district on Friday morning. Initially, it was assumed that a leopard had attacked him, but later it was confirmed that it was not a leopard but a hyena.

B Narasimha Rao along with his family members was engaged in farm work at around 11 am when suddenly he was attacked by an animal that was of the size of a big dog with spots on its fur. Alerted by his screams, others in the field rushed to the spot shouting, which drove the animal away.

Rao, who suffered a deep gash on his thigh and scratches on arms and legs, was immediately rushed to the government hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Guntur, where his condition was reported to be stable. Alerted by villagers, the Kandukur police rushed to the spot. At the same time, receiving the news of a wild animal attack, sub divisional DFO K Mohan Rao along with Ongole forest ranger T Venkata Rao and 20 forest guards rushed to the spot.

Despite searching the surrounding areas for hours, they could not trace the wild animal. Based on the pug marks and description provided by the victim and his family members, the forest officials confirmed that the wild animal was not a leopard as feared but a hyena. "There is no scope for leopard attack, as there are no leopards in the region. Given the description and pug marks, it is a hyena," forest ranger Venkata Rao said.

A case has been registered.