Police are appealing for witnesses after a hundred horned sheep went missing from moorland in the Yorkshire Dales.
The sheep, which all had two red markings on their backs, and with the initials JN burned on one horn, and C on the other, were at the foot of Ingleborough when they went missing sometime between April 16 and Saturday (May 20).
They were all also carrying ear tags, with the number 125037.
Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “The difficulty with the nature of this crime is that it is not necessarily immediately obvious to farmers, who may only be able to identify their shortfall at the time of bringing sheep in to scan or to worm, which often gives a very wide timeframe for us to work with.
“Lines of enquiry are limited, and this is where we need the public’s help to call in suspicious movements of animals, or animals appearing in fields unexpectedly.
“If you notice anything unusual – a different person attending a flock, or offers of sheep or goats for sale either for meat or as stores – please contact us.
“If you are able to get any names, vehicle details, and registrations or even partial registrations we would like to know. If you see something that you think is suspicious or out of place, please call it in to the police on 101.”
Increase in sheep rustling
Sheep rustling has seen a worrying increase. In this month alone, criminals stole more than 30 sheep from a field in the Isle of Skye, Scotland and stole more than 50 sheep in a raid on a north-east farm in Scotland.
And in February, rustlers stole almost 100 sheep worth just under £13,000 in a farm near Falkirk.
The increase in crime has led a team of young tech entrepreneurs to develop a real-time and remote area security system.
Developed over three years in consultation with Hampshire Police, TelemetriCop is a long-range, radio mesh networked, wireless security camera system specifically designed to counter crime as it develops rather than after it has happened.
Anyone with any information is asked to call he non emergency 101 number, quoting incident 0202.
