Four alpacas have ben shot dead during a “horrific” attack at a farm in Cambridgeshire, their heartbroken owner has said.
Dawn French, who lives on a farm in East Hatley, described the killings as “senseless” after she found the bodies the animals, named Calvin, Klein, Martha and Juniper, strewn across her six-acre field on Sunday morning.
A fifth alpaca was also shot but survived. It is now being treated by a vet for paralysis, Ms French said.
Cambridgeshire Police have launched an investigation after the “highly distressing” incident, thought to have taken place between 6pm on Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday.
Ms French told BBC Breakfast :”We got a phone call Sunday morning, saying you need to come to the field now. But be prepared, it’s not pretty.
“They didn’t give us any more information than that, and when we got there we found that four of our alpacas had been shot in the head.
“A fifth one was shot but she was OK.
“One of the sheep had been mauled by a dog, and she was found very, very poorly in a ditch just outside the field.
“It’s just horrific, senseless, just awful.”
Ms French said the ewe had to be put down because she was so badly mauled.
Asked about a possible motive for the attack, Ms French said: “We have absolutely no idea. We’re hoping it’s maybe just a one-off and it’s not a latest craze.
“It’s just been absolutely horrific, no thought whatsoever that could be behind it. Just brutal, senseless – there’s no words.”
In a Facebook post announcing the attack, she said: “All day spent at East Hatley with police, rural crimes team, SOCO (scene of crime officers) & vet saving the injured one. What the hell happened?
“Police are taking it very seriously with guns involved….what on earth next?”
Police have launched an appeal and officers are asking anyone with information about the incident to get in touch.
Sergeant Tom Nuttall said: “This was a highly distressing crime that has caused death and serious injury to defenceless animals.”
