Some 40 sheep have died in a dog attack in Annascaul, Co. Kerry, Chairperson of ICMSA’s Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, Pat Rohan has told Agriland.
A neighbour of Rohan’s went out to check on his sheep last Friday morning, August 5, to find that they were not in the field they were supposed to be in.
He said that at the end of the field there was a few sheep but that the stakes and sheep wire had been flattened. The farmer then discovered 36 of his sheep flock dead beside a gate.
“The 36 sheep ran up against the gate and were smothered. The farmer called a vet to examine the sheep. The vet found marks on them and confirmed that it was dogs [that attacked them].”
Rohan said that 26 of the sheep were lambs and 10 were ewes, all of the Texel breed, and the lambs were one week away from sale.
Rohan said that it can’t be said how many dogs were involved in the attack, however three other sheep farmers in the area had sheep killed on the same night.
There was four sheep between three other neighbours killed on the same night, bringing the total number of sheep killed by dogs to 40, he said.