NEW ZEALAND -- A rampage by pit bull dogs left over 150 dead lambs strewn over paddocks on Landcorp Farming’s Panekiri Station near Lake Waikaremoana.
Farm business manager Mark Boenders and wife Gaylene were away for a week and arrived home to discover 156 dead lambs worth around $17,000. Six breeding rams worth $1300 each were also killed.
Mrs Boenders described the discovery as soul-destroying.
The savage attack began around January 25, after the couple had left their home.
The Boenders believe someone entered the property with the two pit bulls, thought to be a mother and her dog pup.
“We don’t know why they were trespassing on the farm and whether they were rustling sheep or pig hunting,” the couple said.
The slaughter occurred near the Boenders home at the lower end of the Waihi Road. The couple knew there was a problem straight away when they returned to the property last Tuesday.
“You could see the dead lambs from our bedroom window,” said Mrs Boenders.
“We started walking through paddocks and creeks and there were dead and dying lambs every 20 metres. We are just gutted. There is nothing more soul-destroying than seeing a lamb walking up to you with no face and appearing to be pleading with you to put it out of its misery,” said Mrs Boenders.
“Just seeing lamb after lamb mauled and killed is awful.”
It took until Friday night to track the dogs down. The couple could hear the dogs every now and then and were constantly searching, but it took that long to find and destroy them. When found, the dogs were mauling more lambs.
The Boenders took the dogs to the vet and the council in the hope someone might recognise them but although they were wearing collars they were not microchipped or registered.
The couple have been on the 9000-hectare Landcorp Farming Limited property for more than 20 years and say poaching and dog attacks are ongoing issues, but they have not had anything on this scale before.
The Boenders are disappointed with the police reaction and say not enough is being done.
“We are so angry and yet no one is accountable.”
(Gisborne Herald - Feb 13, 2014)
These people have every right to be disappointed with police because nothing is EVER done about marauding dogs that kill and maim livestock animals and wildlife. But just let someone kick or shoot some worthless fleabag dog and the police are Johnny-on-the-spot to charge him/her with "animal cruelty." Sheep provide food and clothing for human beings, dogs (unless they are utilized for the purpose for which their particular breed was created) are superfluous. Today's law enforcement officers have seriously misplaced priorities.
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