A calf was killed in a leopard attack at Nimbehalli village in Hirisave hobli, Hassan district, on Tuesday morning.

Nanjegowda, a resident of the village, had tethered his cattle outside his house on Monday night. It is said that a leopard had tried to attack a stray dog during the wee hours. When the dog escaped from the leopard, the wild cat is said to have pounced on the two-year-old calf, killed it, and had devoured a portion of the carcass.

Channarayapatna zonal forest officer Dharmappa and staff Mallesh and Karigowda visited the spot and confirmed that it was a leopard attack.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Dharmappa said that the leopard population was on the rise in the hobli, as a result of which the felines were attacking domestic animals for food. A cage has been placed to trap the leopard, he said, and appealed to the farmers to be careful on their visits to agricultural lands.

The leopard has attacked cattle at Anthanahalli, Toobinakere, D Tumkur, Kabballi, Hosahalli, Booka, Sorekayipura and other villages in the hobli in the last one month, he added.