Trap Laid After Jaguar Attacks Pets in Hattieville

A jaguar roaming the streets of Hattieville is leaving residents on edge and pet owners on alert. After a series of attacks on dogs near the George Price Highway, wildlife officials have set a trap in the heart of the community in hopes of capturing the elusive predator. The big cat was first spotted in the early hours of last Friday and has since been seen multiple times near homes, a police station, and even a community park. For many residents, it’s an unusual and unsettling sight. Chairman Stephen Coleman says it’s the first time in recent memory that a jaguar has ventured so deep into the village, raising concerns about both public safety and the animal’s wellbeing.

 

On the Phone: Stephen Coleman, Chairman, Hattieville

“After one thirty minutes to two a resident reached out to me concerning the sighting of a jaguar in the village. Apparently, it killed one of her neighbors dog. So, she was briefing me on the situation. She had already gone ahead and contacted the police and the Ministry of Agriculture and the zoo. Forestry, sorry, has sent over a trap for her to set up later tonight to see if she has any luck in trapping the jaguar. So that is where we are at with hat. So, she reached out asking our assistance to set up the trap and possibly baiting it to see if we can trap this animal and get it off the village which would be nice. We don’t want it to be dealing with any of the domestic dogs in the area and definitely not the residents.”

 

Coleman says this may be the first time in recent memory that a jaguar has been spotted in the heart of Hattieville, but residents have reported seeing the big cats near village farmlands before. We’ll continue following this story as wildlife officials work to capture the animal.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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