Ten sheep have been put to sleep after they were chased through a river and found severely injured.
Police say the sheep were found frightened with 'severe' bite injuries on their back legs which are 'consistent' with a dog attack.
The sheep worrying incident at Monaughty, near Presteigne, happened overnight on Wednesday, November 7, and Thursday, November 8.
Powys - Sheep Worrying Monaughty, Presteigne. Overnight between 7th / 8th Nov, sheep have been found frightened, chased through a river. 10 sheep had severe bite injuries on their rear legs - injuries consistant with a dog attack. The sheep have now been euthanized by vets (927) pic.twitter.com/J7bv4JOdPW
— Rural Crime Team: Dyfed-Powys Police (@DPruralpolicing) November 9, 2018
The incident follows another attack on sheep in the Llanerfyl area earlier this month.
Five ewes were found with severe injuries to their legs with, police say, happened between Thursday, November 1, and Friday, November 2.
Dyfed-Powys Police Rural Crime Team are urging dog owners to do more to prevent attacks on livestock.
Powys - Sheep Worrying.
— Rural Crime Team: Dyfed-Powys Police (@DPruralpolicing) November 5, 2018
Sometime between 1st & 2nd November, 5 ewes were found with severe injures to their legs in the Llanerfyl area, Welshpool. These incidents can be avoided. Please ensure your dog can't escape. Do you know where dog is at all times?
Any info? (927/8098) pic.twitter.com/V6NyaAV7qt
As farmers rely on these animals for their income, an attack can have severe implications on their financial situation.
Figures released by NFU Mutual show livestock worrying cost the farming sector around £1.6 million in 2017, and the number of attacks increased by 67 per cent in the past two years.
Findings indicate dogs responsible for attacks are more often alone with no walker or owner present.
Currently, dog owners are not obliged to make a report to the police if their dog attacked livestock, and attacks are not treated as a ‘recordable crime’ on police systems. As a result, there has been little reliable police data on the scale of the problem facing farmers and livestock owners.
Witnesses or anyone with information about the incidents are urged to call the police on 101.
NFU Mutual have produced simple guidelines for farmers to help reduce the risk of a dog worrying attack on livestock:
- Check stock regularly in case any have been attacked
- When possible keep sheep in fields away from footpaths
- Put up signs warning dog owners to keep their pets under control on your land
- Maintain fences, walls and hedges to make it more difficult for dogs to get into grazing fields
- Report any attacks to the police immediately
- Ask neighbours to alert you if they see attacks or loose dogs near your livestock
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