Video: Dozens of sheep drown in southwest Scotland

Studies have emerged of dozens of sheep drowing in southwest Scotland on account of the River Nith flooding.

Sheep breeding know-how provider, Innovis Breeding Sheep, has mentioned it misplaced 40 tup lambs in what it mentioned is the “actuality of farming”.

“The River Nith came to visit final night time about two miles up stream from the place we had sheep grazing,” it mentioned.

Moreover, the corporate mentioned in a Fb submit on December 31, that it understood over 400 sheep within the native space have suffered the identical destiny. It supplied its “heartfelt sympathy to all of the farmers on the market going through these challenges”.

The Nationwide Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS) instructed Agriland that it was conscious, by its regional supervisor, of “not less than three farmers (together with Innovis) who’ve misplaced sheep within the flooding”.

“There could have been extra,” the union mentioned.

This information comes within the wake of the deaths of virtually 30 pregnant sheep in a suspected canine assault in Kent over the Christmas interval.

The suspected assault befell in Teynham, close to Sittingbourne in Kent between Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).

It was reported that barking was heard on Deerton road between 4:00p.m and 5:00pm on Christmas day, nonetheless, it wasn’t till 1:00p.m the next afternoon that the 27 useless ewes had been found.

In an announcement, PC Marc Pennicott of Kent Police’s Rural Activity Drive mentioned the incident was “very distressing” and that it’s “presumably the worst livestock assault we have now ever had”.

“The sheep would have been petrified and had no means of escaping. [Some] had been pregnant with twins or triplets.

“We consider they might have been attacked by one canine however can’t rule out that extra canines could have additionally been accountable,” he added.

Sheep worrying

The Nationwide Farmers’ Union (NFU) and Warwickshire Police’s Rural Crime Staff teamed up right now (Thursday, January 5) to boost consciousness concerning the impacts of sheep worrying and learn how to stop it.

In a video posted by the NFU on Twitter, Graeme Corridor, the ‘Dogfather’ from the Channel 5 TV present Canines Behaving (Very) Badly, mentioned he believed the incidences of sheep worrying are on the rise.

“I feel there’s a little bit of an issue with the time period ‘sheep worrying’, as a result of we simply assume ‘worrying? properly, that’s not very a lot’,” he defined.

Alternatively, he mentioned, when the time period ‘sheep assault’ is used, individuals assume their canine would by no means be able to attacking a sheep.

“However a canine doesn’t must assault a sheep as a way to kill them,” he mentioned.

“They really get wired, their hearts give out. Even when a canine’s simply operating after them, within the canine’s thoughts, to play.”

Jenny Could-Royle of Warwickshire Police’s Rural Crime Staff mentioned: “The legal guidelines round sheep worrying are fairly simple really. The offence occurs when a sheep’s injured by a canine, the canine’s out within the subject, or the canine’s chasing sheep.”

“You’d be amazed how rapidly your canine might run after some sheep. You couldn’t catch them,” Corridor added.

“Usain Bolt’s hundred metre document was 9.58 seconds; a canine can try this in about 5.

“I don’t find out about you, however I don’t assume I’d be that fast. I feel the reply is fairly clear isn’t it? Hold your canine on a brief lead in case you’re wherever close to sheep.”