Missing hoggets are now back with their owner

Of the 26 hoggets that were declared missing in Kilgarven, Co. Kerry, 24 of them have now found their way back to their owner, Dermot Donovan, after the Easter weekend.

Having been presumed stolen for over four days when they were first discovered missing by Donovan on Wednesday, April 12, the Scotch and Texel-cross hoggets made their own way home over the mountains back to Donovan’s farm.

After extensively searching Mangerton Mountain, where they were prior to disappearing, Donovan discovered them at the top of the mountain. Donovan said that the signs and tracks were very fresh, leading him to believe that they had in fact been stolen and moved some distance, only to make their own way back.

“We found them out at the top of Mangerton mountain – one of the highest mountains in Ireland. It’s 2,700ft high.

The most upsetting thing is not the value of the sheep – you’d never become a millionaire out of sheep – but what you have, you should be left have.

Donovan added that the same thing happened to him in 1994, when 18 ewes were stolen from the same location and never recovered. “It was a real nightmare for the few days that they were missing, as you keep thinking of the last time it happened when they were never found.”

Donovan would like to thank the local hotels of the area in Killarney, who allowed his family access of their CCTV cameras to see if any jeeps and trailers were passing during the night hours. “We checked for jeeps and trailers moving between 11:00 at night and 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning.”

Donovan praised the Gardai as well, saying that they were a great help.

“They said we got some good evidence with the photos that we had taken and something may come out of it.” he explained.

Of the original 30 sheep put out on the mountain, two hoggets are still missing, though Donovan is hopeful that they may return in time also.