Cops Hunt Dogs As Flocks of Sheep Mauled to Death in 'Distressing' Attacks

Farmers in the U.K. and Ireland have been left devastated after a spate of dog attacks has left up to 77 sheep dead.

On December 30, 2022 police in Kent, U.K., announced they were seeking witnesses after 27 sheep were found dead following the "worst livestock attack" they had ever seen.

The ewes, which were all believed to be pregnant, were attacked between Christmas Eve and December 26 on a farm near the town of Sittingbourne.

PC Marc Pennicott, of Kent Police's Rural Task Force, said in a statement: "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."

This attack is not the only recent incident involving dogs and livestock after 50 lambs were killed in an attack in County Offaly, Ireland, earlier in December.

Sheep farmer John Healy told Farming Independent: "There were lambs dead everywhere on the land. They were killed one by one."

With an estimated financial loss in the region of €10,000 ($10,550), the farmer has been left in fear that the dogs will kill again.

Incidents like this usually fall under the bracket of livestock worrying—referring to attacking or chasing livestock. U.K. police statistics show that seven in 10 livestock worrying cases are caused by unaccompanied dogs and owners allowing dogs to roam.

Niki French, award-winning dog trainer and founder of Puptalk.co.uk, told Newsweek: "Prey drive is a strong instinctual behavior. It's not something a dog learns, it is part of their hard-wired behaviors. At a historic, fundamental level, prey drive would have helped survival for packs of modern dogs' ancestors by being able to catch and kill prey to eat.

"Modern dogs in the modern world have different levels of prey drive. But drives are inherent behaviors and can be exacerbated by the environment or how the dog is trained (or not). It's rare for dogs to kill livestock but there are many more instances of dogs wanting to chase other animals."

In a 2020 survey by the National Sheep Association (NSA), farmers reported an average of seven cases of sheep worrying in the previous year, resulting in five sheep injured and two sheep killed per attack. Estimated financial losses of up to £50,000 ($59,800) were recorded averaging at £1,570 ($1,877) per farmer.

Farmers affected by sheep worrying and attacks by dogs reported feelings of anxiety, anger, upset, stress, and frustration with more than half admitting it was adversely affecting their mental health.

'We Need Stronger Regulation'

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Chairman Kevin Comiskey told Newsweek: "It's simply not good enough for dogs to be allowed to roam free and cause the level of damage that took place. We need stronger regulation around dog ownership."

Calling for tougher sanctions on those who fail to control their dogs and additional resources to track down dog owners including a national database, the IFA said not enough had been done to prevent losses like this. "The persistent failure of the authorities has frustrated farmers who have suffered significant losses as a result of dog attacks, and those attacks continue to take place," said Comiskey.

Campaigners from the National Farmers Union (NFU) have urged owners to keep their dogs on a leash during countryside walks to avoid stress for dog owners, livestock and farmers.

Fears of Further Attacks

On December 26 near the village of Teynham in Kent, U.K., a passerby reported the dead pregnant ewes and other witnesses reported barking near the area between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Christmas Day.

"The farmer has not only suffered a financial loss due to this incident but animals have needlessly lost their lives. These dogs would have been covered in mud and returned home exhausted and we are committed to identifying their owners," said Pennicott who urged members of the public to come forward with any information about the incident.

If the animals responsible for the attack are not found, Pennicott warned that they could strike again. "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," said Pennicott.

"Keeping dogs on lead is absolutely essential for many dogs around livestock. If you have to say, 'my dog has good recall unless,' you don't have recall. Even if your dog doesn't have a strong prey-drive, running livestock can still incite a dog to want to chase," said French. "It sounds like the recent horrific attacks in Ireland and Kent were from dogs that were roaming alone without an owner present. Kind, positive training can help dogs be calmer around livestock but if your dog is on lead, they are unable to cause distress, or worse, injury to any livestock."

UPDATE 04/01/2023 07:45 a.m.: This story was updated with additional information from dog behavior expert Niki French.