12 hours Ago By [email protected] (Kieran Webster)
A popular spot for walkers near has urged visitors to keep their beloved pets on a lead. Rangers at Whitelee Wind Farm in are asking that dogs are kept under control with lambing season set to start in the next few weeks. Signs installed at the wind farm have warned that heavily pregnant ewes may abort or abandon their young if scared by dogs.
They also warn that farmers may shoot dogs that are out of control, and owners could face a fine of £40,000 or a 12-month prison sentence. A Facebook post from Whitlee Countryside Rangers adds: "That's our seasonal dog walking signage now in place for the lambing season. "Ewes are heavily pregnant at this time, and lambs are due in the next few weeks.
"Please take note, and be a responsible dog owner. "As always, please also be aware that the farmer regularly moves the flock on the windfarm tracks between grazing areas and the farm. "Your dog, your responsibility!" According to , livestock worrying includes a dog chasing livestock that could cause injury or suffering and the presence of a dog causing a female livestock to have an abortion or miscarriage.
It also includes making livestock so desperate to escape that they injure themselves, and causing death to a lamb after separating it from its mother. Anyone witnessing an ongoing livestock worrying incident should call 999. To report a crime that isn't ongoing, members of the public should call 101 or submit an.
