By Tim Binnall
A village in Iraq is on edge due to a monstrous Komodo dragon that is believed to be responsible for slaying a staggering 21 sheep. According to a local media report, the predatory monitor lizard recently began targeting livestock in the community of Sarsula. Resident Omar Ali Surji lamented the presence of the "strange, powerful and dangerous animal" as it is said to have feasted on nearly two dozen of his sheep. "I tried to catch him with the help of dogs," he recalled, but the pursuit proved to be futile as "he is very fast and maneuverable, and whenever we get close to him, he moves very quickly."
That said, one shepherd managed to capture footage of the menacing creature (seen above) as it languidly strolled through the grass seemingly unbothered by a barking dog standing nearby. Understandably concerned about the animal brazenly eating their livestock, residents of the village are calling on authorities to capture the creature and relocate it to an area where it will no longer pose a threat to the community. Native to the region and neighboring Kurdistan, albeit generally smaller in size, Komodo dragons have been given the localized nickname 'goat sucker,' due to their predilection for feeding on the farm animals, which is ironically also how the legendary chupacabra got its name.