These were the shocking images discovered by a Cavan sheep farmer after falling victim to two different dog attacks within a few weeks.
RVA man Richard Eakins said he was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of six ewes after marauding dogs attacked and killed six ewes in recent days.
The first incident, which occurred on November 3, also resulted in two other local farmers losing over half a dozen lambs after being attacked by what Richard believes was a black and white collie and a tan dog.
“I and two of my neighbors who live next door to me suffered casualties that day,” he said.
“One man had three lambs weighing 45-50kg that were born last February or March and another man had killed five lambs while I had lost three and only early in pregnancy.”
“We saw the two dogs, but they were too far away when we arrived.”
Worse was to follow last week when stray dogs again targeted his flock, with one ewe having both ears ripped off completely, while two others were left with only one ear after the attack.
Richard said while some have been treated by a vet, it is likely that all pregnant ewes will not reach full term.
Adding to the father-of-two’s concerns, Richard said he faces a significant financial drain as a result of the two attacks.
“The limbs treated are likely to survive, but with the injections, they’re probably losing what they have as a side effect, and we probably won’t know until March if we’re walking around with infertile sheep,” he said.
“Then there’s the vet bills and the value of the lost sheep, that’s very, very upsetting.”
And while he said it was important to identify the dogs responsible for both attacks, the 66-year-old said the entire episode is one that has yet to fully sink in.
“It’s such a shame that you keep ewes all year round, eventually they go to the ram and five months later you’re hoping for a fresh harvest of lambs and get hit with them for no reason,” he adds.
