The mithun breeding farm in Wangdigang, Zhemgang, has literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Nearly three years after the farm shifted to Zhemgang from Chukha for "bio-security' reasons, the farm is losing mithuns, locally called bamens to wild dogs. According to farm officials, wild dogs killed eight mithun calves since the beginning of this year. The farm has lost about 20 mithun calves since it shifted to Wangdigang in December 2005. "The latest attack was in July when our healthy Choni (name of a calf) was killed by wild dogs,' said farm manager, Ugyen Dorji. "The wild dogs usually attack the eyes and the rear of calves first. They hunt during the day in packs of 10 to 12 dogs.' The farm manager said that the calves fall easy prey to the hunting dogs since they are left free in the forest to graze. "They even try to attack adult female mithuns,' he said. The farm was shifted to Wangdigang from Wangkha in Chukha when construction of the Tala hydro project began and their habitat shrank due to construction activities. "Mithuns are semi-wild animals and they have to graze freely,' he said, adding that Wangdigang provides the perfect habitat, except for the predators. The farm manager said that a boundary fencing with chain link could be a protective measure against the wild dogs. A budget was proposed for the 2008-2009 financial year, but there is no plan as yet in the pipeline. "We can't fence the whole area but if we could restrict the main entry points, it would help,' said Ugyen Dorji. If action is not taken to curb the wild dog problem, the farms would run at a loss since one mithun bull is sold for about Nu 16,000. Mithuns are used to cross breed with local cows to produce