Gardaí in Clonmel told the Irish Farmers Journal that they had received reports of a recent attack on sheep filmed on social media.

They transferred the investigation to Tipperary town this Monday after a farmer in nearby Bansha identified his injured sheep as the one attacked in the video shared by local organisation Action for Animal Welfare Ireland.

The nighttime footage extracted from Snapchat shows lurcher dogs biting sheep repeatedly in the presence of men carrying flashlights.

Emojis

The person who filmed the video added laughing emojis before sharing it.

Despite injuries visible in the video, gardaí said the sheep shown being attacked was still alive.

Witnesses can contact Tipperary garda station on 062 80670.

Last month, the Irish Farmers Journal revealed that over 860 trespassing incidents were reported to gardaí in 2018, with illegal hare coursing and intimidation by groups of men hunting with dogs a particular concern.

Read more

East of the country hit hardest by trespassing

Rural crime: ‘farmers require greater protection’