A SHEEP had its ear ripped off in an alleged dog attack in a private field between Glascoed and New Inn, Pontypool.
Farmer, Carys Williams claimed the ewe was attacked by a dog and that it was not the first time that it has happened in the field.
Ms Williams said: “Her ear is completely missing and ripped down her neck.”
Ms Williams said the ewe survived the ordeal, saying: “She’s alive but sometimes we are put on the position that we won’t let them suffer and have them put down.
“There were 50 ewes running that field we don’t know how long those dogs chased them for and what stress was then put on them at that point.”
Warning: the photo of the sheep is graphic
(Image: Carys Williams) The injury to the ewe.
Ms Williams said the stress of these kinds of instances can kill the animals and if the ewe is pregnant, the stress can lead to lambs dying too.
“Survival rate is low due to the stress. We don’t know what we will lose based on the stress put on these young ewes that are in lamb. [They] will possibly abort their lambs in the future weeks to come,” said Ms Williams.
“It’s the unnecessary stress put on them at that point that is so frustrating, my dad works day and night to look after his stock and he does a bloody good job at it and works harder than any person I know to do it right.”
Ms Williams said it’s impossible to know how long the sheep had been chased before it was attacked.
She said: “The financial cost can’t be defined because we could lose a ewe or four lambs when we get to lambing.”
Ms Williams said this was not the first time this has happened – she claimed it has happened three times in the same field.
“Our field is private land with no footpath so no reason for anyone to be in there,” said Ms Williams.
Ms Williams said that Gwent police have been informed. The Argus has reached out to Gwent Police.