Hundreds of people flocked to a remote village in western Bengal today to catch a glimpse of a chicken-eating cow.

Over the past month the calf has scoffed at least a chicken a night under the cover of darkness, to the surprise of its owner Ajit Ghosh and his fellow residents of Chandpur.

The farmer only discovered his cow had a taste for poultry after he decided to take action to halt the disappearance of dozens of chickens from the village about 150 miles (240km) northwest of the capital Kolkata.

“We were shocked to see our calf eating chickens alive,” Mr Ghosh told Reuters.

Villagers initially blamed dogs for eating 48 chickens during the past month, which was proving costly for them to bear.

Mr Ghosh and his brother decided to stand guard outside the cow shed, which also served as a hen coop, overnight on Monday to frighten away any dogs that came.

“Instead of the dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal, sneak to the coop and grab the little ones with the precision of a jungle cat,” said his brother.

Local television footage showed the cow grabbing and eating a chicken in seconds and a vet confirmed the case.

The cow, which is sacred to the Hindu family, was also eating grass during the day but was not getting enough nutrients, vets say.

Mihir Satpathy, a district veterinary officer, said: “We think lack of vital minerals in the body is causing this behaviour. We have taken a look and have asked doctors to look into the case immediately.

“This strange behaviour is possible in some exceptional cases."

But, Mr Ghosh added: “The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease but others said Lal was a tiger in his previous birth."

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