Sheep-Worrying

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 203, 13 September 1937, Page 6

Sheep-Worrying

FARMER'S BIG LOSS

34 Out Of Flock Of 97 Already Killed WHOLESALE DAMAGE Wholesale sheep-worrying which has already resulted in 34 out of a flock . of 97 ewe n&ggets having to he killed, with every probability of a further six suffering the same fate, has caused a loss of somewhere about £80 t,o Mr H. J. McKeesiclc, of Haumoana, who farms a small property on t,he Hastihgs-Havelock road, not far from the horough boundary. A dog which was actually caught in the act of worrying one of the sheep has heen shot, The property farmed by Mr Mc-; Keesick is one of seven acres divided*. into five small paddocks. When thfc owner visited the flock early on Sat-* urday morning he found his sheep to be in a sorry state. Dead and damaged sheep were in evidence everywhere and wool torn from the sheep by tho marauders was strewn about. By tha wholesale nature of the damage done and the fact that wounds inflicted were of sevceral different types, it is sumed that there was more than onje dog responsible. A remarkable feature of the occuTrence is that although two ypung women were sieepmg in tho house on the property, they wero not disturbed in any way during the course of tbe night. Some of the sheep were hamstruug and had their hind-quarters otherwise damaged, others were mauled about' the head and had their throats opened. A sheep which was * skinned in the presence of a Herald-Tribune representative was seen to have the hind leg torn and lacprated for its whole length. Other sheep examined showed deep holes in the throat which exposed the internal organs, while on ski'nning it was feen that these organs had been gmashed to a pulp by the action of the dog's jaws. Deep wounds on the nose and about the eyes of the sheep wero also in evidence. . It is a weli-kuown fact that wounds inflicted by dogs under these circumstances are extrexnely likely to become septic . owing to the secretions in the mouth of the dog, whiph at such times is suffering from a forrn of madness. It will therefore not he possible for a fortnight to ascertain the complete loss because it will take that time for the poison to have jtg complete effect. \ Caught in Act ' Rarly on Saturday morning Mr Me-i Keesick discovered a large Labrador retriever in the act of j attacking oue of his sheep and he immediately shot it. He kept a watch over his pfoporty until the early hours of yesterday and this morning for a return of the Other dogs which he f eels certain were involved, but there was no sign of a repetition of the occurrqnce. The . sheep, however, throughout hoth nights were restless and uneasy as if expectant of another attack. They are obviously distressed and this will have the effect of their going back in condition. . Twenty-five per" cent of Mr McKeesick's flock of '97 is all that remains undamaged in some way or another. On Saturday cnorning it was necessary for him to kill and skin 29 of tho most severely damaged sheep, while a further five were killed yesterday. Approximately the same number of the remainder were damaged to a more or less serious degree, but they are to bo given a Chance to see if they will survive their injuries. Howev«r, there is every possibility that at least six of these will have to be destroyed, bringing the total number to come under the knife at 40. Value of Loss Mr McKeesick places upon his sheep a conservative value of 42/- a head which includes the value of the wool and the price they would xealise as breqding ewes at noxt February's ewe fair, which for the 40 sheep already "killed or likely to be killed "cnakes a total value of about £80. This, of .iourse, does not take into account t.te loss througli deterioration of the surviving membors of the flock. "I have never seen anything like it in jny life and I have been farming for a good number of years now," said Mr McKeesick yesterday. "In future any dog tlidt coracs on to my property, either bere or at Haumoana/ will he shot on sight."