Tipperary sheep kill 'like something out of a horror film'

A farmer in Tipperary is facing into the New Year with a major financial loss after his flock of sheep were savagely attacked by dogs over the Christmas period leaving 70 dead, 20 more injured and five missing.

Donal O’Donoghue was met by a sight of “unimaginable horror” when he went to look at his flock of sheep on rented land in Ballymacegan, Lorrha on the Tuesday morning after Christmas. The viciousness of the attack unfolded with every step he took, as his sheep were left massacred all around him.

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An emotional Mr O’Donoghue said “These were killer dogs. They went for the hoggets' faces and throats and in a few instances, they ripped their stomach wide open,” he said. “They didn’t pull clumps of wool out of the sheep, they attacked savagely with the sole purpose to kill. It was like something out of a horror film,” he said.

The Redwood farmer who has always rented land in the area and outside of the parish, said that “as a sheep farmer all my life I have never witnessed such carnage, nor have any of my neighbours”.

The scene was horrific and distressing not just for Donal himself, but, also for his family as sheep were dead all over the fields and in the adjoining forest. “45 were killed outright” an emotional Donal continued. “Another 20 had to be put down because most had their eyes and faces ripped away and another five are missing,” he said.

“Four more died on Sunday January 1st and there are 16 more that have less severe injuries and have been injected by the vet to protect against infection. They are traumatised, but we have to try and keep them alive if possible”. He added that “even if they do live, they won’t thrive” (as evidenced by the four that died on Sunday as they had been treated).

Further commenting on the scene, Donal said “All of the sheep were singled out bar five, and were brutally killed in a horrific attack because when sheep are attacked by dogs, they race together into a corner so tightly that they often smother each other, but that didn’t happen in this instance. It is obvious that there was more than one dog. One or two held the sheep in place while a third and possibly a fourth dog did the killing I imagine.”

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The financial burden is estimated to cost at least €12,000 and possibly won’t stop there, between the income lost on the sheep, vet bills and carcass removable. The financial loss will be hard to take given the circumstances of the kill, and unlike cattle cover, sheep killed in this manner are not covered under his insurance policy. The remaining 43 hoggets that escaped the attack are terrified and probably won’t thrive either. “I don’t know how they are going to turn out,” explained the sheep farmer, so the full loss of this terrible incident is still unknown.

Mr O’Donoghue is urging dog owners of these vicious and dangerous breeds to take responsibility for their dogs and keep them away from livestock at all times. “Those dogs that attacked my sheep are killer dogs. I’d advise the owners to have them put down immediately because dogs like that are vicious and dangerous. The way they killed my sheep with pure savagery, tearing off their faces for sport, they could attack a human or a child and do the same to them,” he said. “They will most certainly kill sheep again now that they have tasted blood and executed such a rampage. It is simply not good enough and I don’t want to see another sheep farmer suffering like we are, it’s unimaginable and something that I will never get over” he stated.

Mr O’Donoghue had great praise for his neighbours who have come to his assistance and helped him to clean up the corpses and gather up the sheep that survived.

“I couldn’t cope, I just hadn’t the strength to cope with the sheer savagery the day I found them. It was so horrific for all of us, myself, my wife and my children,” he said. Thanking his neighbours, Liam King, Michael Rushe (the landowner), Martin Young, Daniel Bugler, Darragh Guinan and Barry Moran, who along with his own children and wife Nuala, he said they helped him over the shock and despair of what he came across on the morning of December 27th. “Some of my neighbours spent two days and even a third day combing fields, drains, ditches and the nearby plantation searching for the sheep that had scattered in all directions. Their support and kindness will never be forgotten.”

Mr O’Donoghue then revealed the The Gardai in Nenagh are investigating the incident. However, the family are calling on politicians to change the law to enable the Gardai and Dog Wardens have more power to act in such cases. “The Gardai and Dog Wardens are out there trying to do their best, but their hands are so tied in how far they can go to investigate, and this compounded the distress” said Nuala O’Donoghue, Donal’s wife.

IFA sheep chairman Kevin Comiskey said stronger regulation was needed. “It’s simply not good enough for dogs to be allowed to roam free and cause this level of damage. We need stronger regulation around dog ownership,” he said. Mr Comiskey led a delegation to meet Ministers Heather Humphreys and Charlie McConalogue in early 2022 and they put forward strong measures that are needed to curb dog attacks. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen progress on any of these proposals in the past number of months and the attacks have continued. The persistent failure of the authorities has frustrated farmers who have suffered significant losses as a result of dog attacks, and those attacks continue to take place across the country,” he said

Local Cllr Michael O’Meara said that when he visited the farm and witnessed the scene his initial reaction was that “this carnage must stop”.

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“The farmer and his neighbours are completely distraught at what these dogs have done. Some of the sheep had no ears or faces and had to be humanely put down such was the severity of the attack. It is not alone the financial hit but the emotional and phychological effects something like this has on the farmer and his family” said the Cllr. “I believe that the powers to control dogs, especially ones on the dangerous dogs list, must be strengthened and this must be done through the Dail. I will be speaking to Oireachtas members in the coming days and farming bodies and I also intend to raise this at Tipperary County Council level and request support from other local authorities,” said Cllr O’ Meara.