We were saddened to hear that two of the ‘village’ lambs in the field to the east of Riverside Cottage were attacked and savaged between the evening of Thursday 7th June and Friday 8th June. These were quite large lambs, born in March this year, so fox predation may be less likely than if they were newborns; but foxes are known to take lambs up to around 10Kg in weight. The rear ends of both lambs were attacked which again seems unlike foxes, which usually go for the throat. There are also badgers in the area and they again have a reputation for attacking lambs; though it’s hard to get and fact and figures on this.
Regrettably, we can’t rule out sheep-worrying by dogs and it’s true to say that villagers have noticed an increase in the use of the footpath alongside the field by dog-owners from, or visiting, the village. Certainly, that is supported by the increase in dog mess alongside, and even on, that particular footpath. If it is a case of sheep worrying then that is a crime and it needs to be treated as such. If you saw or heard anything that might suggest that this could have been an attack by dogs, please let Wiltshire Police know asap.