A Fife shepherd has described the moment he found one of his flock mauled by dogs.
Duncan Macrae, who works on Balbirnie Estate, had to watch as the distressed pregnant ewe was destroyed after suffering bone-deep wounds.
Animal welfare charity Scottish SPCA urged dog owners to keep their pets on leads near livestock following the incident at East Lomond.
Farm worker Colin Black heard dogs at around 8am and arrived at the field to find the terrified flock huddled next to a fence. One ewe was badly mauled around the neck.
Mr Macrae said: “It was distressing just to see it. Farmers are tough but I sunk low that day. It’s probably the worst attack I have seen.”
Another sheep had part of its tail bitten off.
Other than the obvious injuries, the incident may have cause sufficient distress to cause other ewes to miscarry their lambs.
“I don’t know how many lambs I’ve lost,” said Mr Macrae.
“I won’t know until they have been scanned and they won’t be scanned for another two weeks.”
Mr Macrae had intended to move his flock to another pasture on January 28 but was thwarted by bad weather.
Mr Black, 42, said: “I have looked into the law. If the dogs had been still there, the dogs would have been shot.
“It’s hard to shoot a sheep, but it’s harder to shoot a dog because it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the owner of the dog who is at fault.
“The dog is a pet and there could be a child at home who loves that pet. It’s horrific.”
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said, “Sheep worrying can often lead to sheep being killed or seriously injured as they try to flee as they can run into fences or walls when panicked.
“It is a big issue at any time of the year but more so during lambing season when the sheep and lambs are more vulnerable. The stress that sheep incur whilst being chased can lead to them miscarrying and even death.
“If a sheep or lamb is caught by a dog they often have to be put to sleep due to their injuries.
“We appreciate that the countryside is a great place to walk dogs, but as it is a dog’s natural instinct to chase we would always recommend that dogs are kept on a lead near any farm animal.”
