Four alpacas and a sheep were killed in a ‘highly distressing’ incident in East Hatley, Cambridgeshire this weekend.
Between 6 pm on Saturday and 8.30 am Sunday, the four alpacas – Calvin, Klein, Martha and Juniper – were shot and killed near Main Street in East Hatley, Cambridgeshire Police said.
A fifth alpaca was also shot in the face but survived the heinous attack.
In a Facebook post, a local resident said the alpacas were ‘shot in the head and killed’ along with one ewe which was ‘massacred’ by dogs and was forced to be put down.
Owner Dawn French told the BBC: ‘We got a phone call saying, ‘I think you need to come down here but be prepared, it’s not pretty.’
‘We rushed down there and found four alpacas with shots to their heads, very very upsetting, very traumatic – just hideous.’
House-to-house inquiries have been carried out, and authorities are now 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.
‘I would encourage anyone who knows anything about this offence to get in touch as soon as possible.’
Metro has contacted the RSCPA.
It’s believed the killings were carried out with a .22 calibre rifle or similar weapon.
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