Graphic image warning: 80 sheep lost following 'horrific' dog attack
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A Tipperary farm family has spoken of the “horrific” dog attack on their sheep that they expect will result in the deaths of over 80 of their flock.
After receiving a phone call early on the morning of December 27 informing him of the attack that occurred on his rented farmland around six miles away, Lorrha farmer Donal O’Donoghue was met with a scene “like a massacre” when he arrived there, his wife Nuala said.
“The sheep’s faces were ripped off, there were sheep there with their faces off but they were still standing, not running, but in shock,” she told the Irish Examiner.
“Sheep were dead everywhere.” During the attack, which the family say most likely involved a number of dogs, the sheep started running into a forestry plantation at the back of the farmland.
“It took six or seven of good friends and neighbouring farmers with us combing all this land for two days, and what they tallied up was approximately 48 were dead, and mostly by attack,” Nuala continued.
“There were close to 50 dead upon discovery, and they had been scattered far and wide; and 20 more had to be put down straight away from the attack.
“The vet thought we might be able to have 19 survive but of those 19, six have died as well.” She said that the total death toll could reach as high as 80 to 85 sheep, of the 133 that were on that piece of land.
While the family estimates a financial loss upwards of €12,000 taking into account the loss of livestock and the cost of vet bills and more, the psychological impact has most been significant, Nuala said.
“You don’t know when it’s going to happen again, you don’t feel safe or secure in a way. You’re afraid it’s going to happen again,” she said.
“The psychological effect to my sons and my husband who came on the scene and looked at these animals standing alive still with their faces ripped off, they just kept thinking – ‘it could have been a child, it could have been a person’.” She said that the dog attack appeared to be “for sport – these lambs weren’t eaten up, they were killed in the face and neck”, and then the dogs “moved on, got the next one”.
She added that she is speaking out about the incident to “help the farming community, as well as people, against very dangerous dogs”.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Tipperary North sheep chair JP Ryan told the Irish Examiner that action is needed now.
The IFA has repeatedly called for changes in legislation, including for tougher sanctions for those who fail to have their dog under control at all times, along with a single national database for all dogs in the country that identifies the person responsible for the dog.
Mr Ryan commented that the incident in Co Tipperary “was a huge kill” by “dogs powerful enough to kill that many sheep in one snatch”.
He suggested that “emergency legislation” be brought in to try and tackle the issue, with this attack following other severe dog attacks on sheep farms in the last month.
“There is a huge financial loss to the farmer, it is demoralising and it takes security away from your livelihood,” Mr Ryan added.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that Gardaí at Nenagh are investigating following reports of the incident.
Gardaí and the local dog warden attended at the scene and enquires into the matter are ongoing, the Garda spokesperson added.
