Four goats attacked by wild dogs at Bigbury Camp Nature Reserve

Four goats were attacked by out-of-control dogs at Kent Wildlife Trust’s Bigbury Camp Nature Reserve.

After two of the goats were found with their limbs flapping, an executive decision was made to euthanise them.

Afterwards, it was found that the goats suffered heart damage, lung damage and dislocated joints.

The dogs chased the other two goats until they reportedly dropped dead due to exhaustion, even though the dogs did not bite any of them.

This is not the first case of livestock being relentlessly chased around by dogs that appear to not be on a lead.

This is angering managers and staff at nature reserves.

Alison Ruyter, the area manager at Kent Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Grazing Programme, believes that some owners show a lot of “ignorance” when not keeping their dogs on leads.

She told Kent Online: “Recently a dog attacked our Hebridean sheep at Queensdown Warren near Sittingbourne, but when challenged the owner said her dog was simply playing with the sheep and claimed the animal enjoyed it.”

She asks for support from anyone who knows how to tackle this major problem to approach them.

Cameras have now been installed to make sure that dog owners are keeping their pets on their leads, especially around livestock.

Dog owners have been asked to be stricter and take extra care when going on dog walks as lambing season is starting.

Another reason is that, with the Easter season approaching, there is expected to be a rise of dog walks in the countryside.

On the gov.uk website, it states that on open access land and at the coast, you must put your dog on a lead around livestock. Between March 1 and July 31, you must have your dog on a lead on open access land, even if there is no livestock on the land.

A farmer can shoot a dog that is attacking or chasing livestock. They may not be liable to compensate the dog’s owner.

Bigbury Camp have been contacted for comment about the attack.

If you have any information about this attack at Bigbury Camp, you can talk to Kent Police quoting reference number 18-0839.

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