Kendrapara: Bodies of a dozen over a dozen maimed and mutilated sheep were recovered from the district in the past 48 hours, raising the spectre of a mystery that had reared its head last year.

Carcasses of 23 sheep were found at a shed at Mangalpur village in Derabish tehsil. En-masse killing of sheep had grabbed spotlight last December in villages of Rajnagar tehsil. Forest personnel had found jackals responsible for the killing spree.

A team of officials from the forest, veterinary & animal husbandry and tehsil departments rushed to the village to take stock of the situation. Forest personnel are camping in the village to track the killer animal.

"The animals would be captured shortly. Twenty-three sheep killed by the animals were owned by one farmer," said Kendrapara collector Dasarathy Satpathy.

"He will be compensated according to governmental guidelines and rules," he said.

"It's a localised act of predatory attack by a pack of jackals. The forest staff members are keeping night vigil in the village since Wednesday," said forest range officer Adhir Kumar Behera.

"We believe the jackals to be involved from pug marks and other evidence apart from the nature of attack," he added.

Livestock owners are panicked after the sheep's bodies were retrieved.

"I have lost 23 sheep and left with two more. Sheep rearing is my sole source of income. Unless the government compensates me, I will be out on the streets," said sheep farmer Banambar Bhuyan.