A single dog is thought to have killed nearly 30 sheep in what Kent Police have called “possibly the worst livestock attack” officers have ever seen.
A total of 27 pregnant ewes, carrying twins and triplets, were found dead by a passerby at lunchtime on Boxing Day near the village of Teynham, outside Sittingbourne.
Other witnesses reported hearing barking near the area between 4pm and 5pm on Christmas Day.
Photographs posted to social media showed a number of dead sheep, covered in mud and hemmed into the corner of a fenced field. The police said many appeared to have died in a crush to escape the dog or dogs.
While attacks on livestock can involve dogs biting sheep, it is common for sheep to die from crushing and suffocation or to miscarry from the stress.
Kent Police said it was possible that more than one dog had been involved, but that they believed it may have been a single canine behind the deaths. They are appealing for any information on the incident.
‘Sheep would have been petrified’
Pc Marc Pennicott, of Kent Police’s Rural Task Force, said: “This is a distressing incident which is possibly the worst livestock attack we have ever had. The sheep would have been petrified and had no way of escaping.
“We believe they may have been attacked by one dog but cannot rule out that more dogs may have also been responsible.
“The farmer has not only suffered a financial loss due to this incident but animals have needlessly lost their lives.”
Pc Pennicott said that if the pet or pets involved were not identified, they could strike again.
“These dogs would have been covered in mud and returned home exhausted and we are committed to identifying their owners.
“The sheep targeted were pregnant with twins or triplets and the remaining livestock have also been left vulnerable to a further attack, so it is extremely important that we find who is responsible for these dogs as quickly as possible.”
Tougher laws on livestock worrying
The National Farmers Union has been campaigning for several years to toughen up the law on livestock worrying and introduce harsher penalties on owners.
The Animal Welfare Bill has been going through Parliament since May. It would increase the number of species covered by the definition of livestock, grant greater investigative powers to the police and make it easier for them to seize dogs, as well as give the courts the ability to impose dog control, disqualification and destruction orders for livestock worrying.
According to Sheep Watch UK, which campaigns to reduce livestock worrying, as many as 15,000 sheep are killed each year by dogs. As many as 50 per cent of attacks are thought to be carried out by dogs left alone in unsecured gardens or left to “walk themselves” at night.
