A plea has gone out to dog owners to take special care with their pets as the height of the lambing season and a critical time for ground nesting birds reaches its peak. The warning comes in the wake of an attack where a lamb was killed and three others seriously wounded in South Cumbria.
Although most dog owners take great care around breeding livestock and wildlife, the thoughtless minority can cause havoc, according to Lake District National Park ranger, Val Edmondson. She said:
This is a very sensitive and important time. A dog chasing lambing sheep can cause them to abort and, in the worst cases, kill the ewe and her unborn lambs. Sheep are the Lake District farmers' livelihood and dogs can be a real problem to them, particularly when they are so vulnerable.
Keswick farmer Tom Birkett said sheep had come through the worst winter for 60 years and were in a weaker condition as a result.
I would appeal to dog owners to keep their pets under control at this particularly sensitive time.
Farmers have reported some sickening cases over the years and ultimately they may have to shoot out of control pets, added Val Edmondson. She explained:
This is obviously a last resort, but sometimes they have no other choice.Lambing time coincides with ground nesting birds producing their offspring, which are also at great risk from dogs.
Species such as curlew, lapwing, snipe and grouse have nests disturbed and their chicks scattered. And once away from the nest, their chances of survival plummet. We've seen a worrying decline in numbers and must do all we can to protect them.
By law, dogs must be controlled so that they do not scare or disturb livestock or wildlife. On open access land they have to be kept on short leads from 1st March to 31st July – and kept under close control all year round when near stock.
Advice can be found on www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/dogwalking and www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk
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