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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A north Auckland farmer spends long nights in his pastures trying to catch a dog that killed 29 of his sheep.
Dairy Flat farmer Donald Mackintosh thought something was wrong when he saw two of his sheep lying dead together near the gate of one of his paddocks during a regular check of his herd of 1,000 on Monday morning.
About 100 meters away were two other dead sheep. Finally, he counted 25 dead sheep and 4 dead lambs in three or four paddocks.
“Everywhere we looked there were dead sheep. It’s not like it’s one or two. There are many sheep.
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Chris McKeen / Stuff
Dairy Flat farmer Donald Mackintosh is determined to catch the dog he believes killed 29 of his sheep on Saturday night.
“Dogs attack sheep with reasonable regularity, but being 29 is very, very bad. Its a big problem “.
Another half a dozen people were injured, but Mackintosh believes they will recover.
“The sheep are really terrified right now.”
He believed the incident occurred on Saturday night, due to the swollen state of the sheep.
The crushing injuries to his throat suggested to Mackintosh that only one dog was to blame, as the sheep would have suffered more tear-like injuries if multiple dogs had been pulling the sheep between them.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Mackintosh said that while caring for his sheep, it would be tragic for the dog to kill any of his neighbors’ sheep.
While Mackintosh admitted that “once in a while you get a dead sheep,” that 29 perished at once was a significant blow to business.
This included the cost of the sheep themselves, as well as the hours spent digging and burying the sheep, checking the rest of the herd for injuries, and keeping an eye on the dog.
Since some of the deceased sheep were new mothers, Mackintosh will have to identify and bottle-feed his orphans.
But getting older lambs to a bottle could be difficult, he added.
For the next few nights, Mackintosh and his farm manager Jackson Haysom will take turns taking turns in the paddocks, hiding behind the trees, in case the dog returns.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Donald Mackintosh’s sheep had a commercial value of around $ 150 each, but the time he spent burying them, checking his live sheep for injuries, and watching out in case the dog returned weighed heavily on his mind as well.
Mackintosh believed that the dog needed to be destroyed, adding that the owners probably knew their dog had been up to something, as it was probably covered in blood.
“Dogs are smart. It is the natural instinct of a dog to chase.
“Once a dog gets a tasting, it always comes back.”
Auckland Council Animal Management Manager Sarah Anderson said she had visited the Mackintosh farm and would be patrolling the area.
Animal handling would take DNA samples to help it identify the dog involved, he said.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Donald Mackintosh has around 1,000 sheep spread across his 162-hectare farm, about 27 minutes north of Auckland.
“For the farmer, the locals and our staff, an attack of this nature and size is horrifying and heartbreaking.”
He asked anyone with information or who had seen dogs nearby to call 09 301 0101.
“We want to remind dog owners to keep their dogs under control and properly confined at all times, especially in rural areas if their dogs are unfamiliar with livestock.”
A police spokesman said it would investigate only if council officials believed the matter was suspicious or criminal.
