Sheep worrying incident in Rasharkin

The incident happened on Wednesday 15th January.

Ballymoney Borough Council received a report that sheep kept in a field at Portna Road, Rasharkin had been worried overnight.

The Council Environmental Warden attended the scene and found that five lambs were dead.

The next day a local vet had to put a further five sheep down which left two surviving animals from a field of twelve.

The sheep were fenced in and could not escape the dog or dogs suspected of inflicting the damage.

All of the sheep in the field had their ears bitten off and bore the classic signs of having been attacked as they had suffered, in some cases fatal, injuries to their back end.

Some sheep had their sides ripped out exposing their internal organs.

A number of sheep with these severe injuries were still alive when discovered by their owner.

It is vitally important that owners, especially in rural areas where livestock are grazing, know of their dog’s whereabouts at all times and keep them securely closed in.

At this time of year farmers will increasingly have lambing ewes and other livestock out in the fields.

The farmer in question has suffered a financial loss estimated to be £1,000.

Anyone who has information which could assist with the on-going investigation should contact the Environmental Warden on (028) 2766 0257.

* Contact the Ballymoney Times on 028 7035 5260 or email [email protected]