Livestock farmers in Kangayam-Dharapuram belt are staring at economic ruin because of the repeated killings of their sheep and goats by packs of wandering dogs. Earlier this week, 50 goats were mauled to death by such dogs at a farm in Chinnaputhur in Dharapuram taluk, according to sources.Mahali, a farmer, who had corralled his goats in an enclosure the previous night, found carcasses of the goats the next morning with bleeding injury marks. The dogs had dug up the soil beneath the fence to gain entry into the enclosure. Farmers estimated the extent of loss to be close to ₹8 lakhs. Last month, 11 goats were killed similarly at a farm in Karattupalayam village in Vellakovil block.The farmers fear that dogs that regularly feed on the openly discarded offal from poultry units resort to attacking livestock at farms when they cannot find enough food.According to sources, farmers in Kangayam are also concerned about the spread of an unidentified disease causing livestock deaths. Seven goats died in a farm at Killarikattupudur near Sivanmalai only days after exhibiting symptoms.Officials are investigating to check whether the deaths were caused by animal feed. Published - June 20, 2026 08:41 pm IST