Police are appealing for information after three sheep and a ram were killed at a farm in West Oxfordshire overnight.
The remains of the four animals were discovered shortly before 11.30am today, in a field off the B4449 Aston Road, near Witney.
The animals, three pedigree sheep from the Texels breed and the ram from the pedigree Bleu Dumaine breed were worth about £2,000.
PC Simon Towers, wildlife officer for Oxfordshire, said: “The animals appear to have been butchered at the scene, with all the edible parts of the animals taken.
“This is a very nasty crime that would have caused great suffering to the animals and has left the owner of the livestock very distressed.
“We believe the crime has been carried out some time between 11.45pm last night and 8am this morning.
“I would urge anyone with information about this incident to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information should contact PC Towers via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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