Suffolk: Pregnant ewe with triplets killed in dog attack
16th December 2024
A pregnant ewe was attacked and killed by a dog in a field in Lavenham, Suffolk.
Farmer Stephen Cobbald was grazing his livestock on a field with public access when one of his heavily pregnant ewes was attacked by a dog.
Witnesses told the farmer that the dog got loose from its owners, who failed to control it.
Unfortunately, the animal did not survive the attack.
All the ewes were due to lamb at the beginning of January, and this particular one was due to give birth to triplets.
Devastating incident
Farm’s helper Amy Byford said: “This is the third time in four years this has happened, and it seems some people get no better in controlling their dogs.
“Devastated is an understatement. All the work gone into producing these sheep, and all it takes is one ignorant walker to ruin a year’s hard work and the life of this ewe.
“We have all made various attempts to let walkers know that sheep are present but with all our signs taken down by walkers it’s hard to do so, except the obvious, which is that there are sheep in the field.”
READ MORE: Government backs bill to tackle dog attacks on livestock
READ MORE: Livestock worth £1.8m killed and injured by dogs in just one year
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