Dog walkers have been reminded to keep their four-legged friends on a lead at all times when out walking near livestock.
The reminder from the Cairngorms National Park Authority comes as lambing gets into full swing on farms and crofts across the country.
Land management advisor at the park authority, Bruce McConachie who farms himself, said: “Lambing time is upon us again and dog owners are being reminded they must be careful with their pets around sheep and other livestock.
“Pregnant ewes and newborn lambs are extremely vulnerable and nervous at this time of year and should not be worried by dogs that have been allowed to run loose. The consequences can be devastating from miscarriage to injuries as a direct result of chasing or attacks by dogs that are not in control. We would urge dog owners to please keep dogs on leads near farmland.”
Farming union NFU Scotland said instances of dog attacks on sheep and cows, also known as livestock worrying, was on the rise.
Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request revealed that a total of 179 attacks of dogs on livestock were reported in 2016 resulting in either the injury or death of farm animals.
Union president, Andrew McCornick, said: “We would ask the public to ensure that they are familiar with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and to ensure that where they do access fields with livestock they should ensure that dogs are under close control, they may also wish to consider taking an alternative route to avoid livestock altogether.
“We would remind the public that farmers are well within their rights to shoot a dog in the event that they witness it worrying livestock. Whilst we do urge our farmers to use this as a very last resort, unfortunately there have been a number of instances recently where this has been the only practicable solution to ending an attack.”
