Police appeal for information following a livestock attack in Flintshire

Police are appealing for any information after a dog attacked two rams in Flintshire.

The attack by an unknown dog happened on Wednesday near Lixwm.

Two pedigree Texel rams worth £800 were attacked by the dog, they were later euthanised by a vet due to the injuries suffered.

Paw prints from the dog were left in snow but as it had partially melted officers from the North Wales Police Rural Crime team were unable to track them but “the dog appears to have come from the Lixwm direction” said a spokesperson.

Paw prints from the dog in the snow

Anybody with any information is asked to call 101 quoting V187343.

Delyn MP David Hanson has called upon the UK Government to tighten laws around livestock worrying in bid to stop horrific dog attacks.

An All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Animal Welfare which Mr Hanson is a member of, published a report recently called ‘Tackling livestock worrying and encouraging responsible dog ownership’

The report found responsible dog ownership through the management of dogs and reducing high-risk behaviour around livestock should be the primary focus in ending livestock attacks.

The two sheep attacked on Wednesday in Lixwm

Livestock attacks place a major financial burden on farmers in Flintshire yet the scale of the problem is hard to measure due to a lack of data.

One recommendation in the report is for “all incidents, crimes and outcomes are recorded and shared nationally”

North Wales Police rural crime team was set up 2013 and is seen as a benchmark for many of forces in Wales and England.

The team faced an enormous challenge of conducting a data trawl which included overcoming difficulties of locating related incidents amongst all recorded police incidents over a four-year period, they found;

Police in the region had recorded 449 livestock attacks resulting in the death of 648 animals, 376 were injured and 52 dogs shot, in 89% of the cases owners weren’t present when their dogs attacked.

David Hanson MP has been working with the constabulary to ensure that the loopholes in the law are tightened so that livestock are protected and those who allow their animals to commit the attacks are held responsible.

In addition to this, Mr. Hanson recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove MP, requesting that the Government tighten the laws surrounding livestock worrying.

APPG’s report says the ‘Home Office should recognize that livestock worrying is a national social and economic issue which requires accurate statistics to be collected and guidance to be provided to police and should look to make livestock worrying a recordable crime to ensure more accurate records.’

The report also says; ‘Many incidents of worrying and attacks occur when owners are not present, all dog owners need to accept that their dog should never be unaccompanied outside of their home.

Owners should also understand their responsibility to ensure that wherever dogs are kept, including their houses and gardens, they are secure so that their dogs cannot escape and cause problems.’