CASE STUDY: FARMER’S SHOCK AS 18 LAMBS KILLED

DAN LETHBRIDGE keeps sheep and cattle on a tenanted farm near Liskeard in South-East Cornwall. He also purchases grass keep from other farms during the winter, to give his land a break, so his sheep are in a number of locations.

Dan first experienced a case of livestock worrying a few years ago, when a number of ewes and lambs were killed by a dog in one of his fields. More recently, in November, following a dog attack, Dan discovered 18 dead lambs in one of his fields, which is surrounded and secured by an electric fence.

The 25-year-old recalls: “I went out on the Saturday evening and found the first dead lamb. It was dark so I went to collect it on my quad bike, but then as I started driving round I noticed I could see others and realised there were more – 18 in total. They had bite marks and injuries on them that were clearly from a dog attack.

“It’s pretty depressing and upsetting to have to deal with this, especially considering the fact that the owners didn’t report it – somebody must know something. A dog doesn’t just accidentally kill 18 lambs. It’s sometimes ignorance more than anything – everyone knows accidents happen but, with more and more people using the countryside to walk their dogs, some dogs have never even seen a sheep, so the owners can’t tell how they will react – how can they be sure they will be able to keep it under control if it is off the lead?”

Regarding pregnant ewes, he added: “If they are chased around the field and are terrified by a dog, then they can actually miscarry, which is terrible.” In early January, a further three of his ewes were killed.