The crime of sheep rustling is back. Farmers thought this crime was history. John Bishop, a 58-year-old Worcestershire farmer has lost more than 200 of his flock to a ruthless gang of rustlers, costing him more than £10,000.
The theft of large numbers of animals is a growing problem worldwide. The police will reopen village police stations hoping to catch the thieves. Farmers have founded an action group whose purpose is to catch the thieves by patrolling the fields where animals are kept.
Last year there have been 19 rustling incidents and almost 2000 animals were stolen. A growing black market for cheap meat along with high sheep prices are named as causes of the increase of this crime . And the thieves are not only looking for sheep. Horses and llamas are also loved booty’s of the thieves.
Farmers like Bishop are in real trouble. "We've had years of dealing with disease problems, scrapie, CJD, foot and mouth, bluetongue... and now this” said John Bishop. “It is a crime that needs to be punished.”
It is a bit funny how creative thieves can be. In Belgium they steal fuel out of cars and in America they steal animals from farmers. It is strange how thieves can steal 200 sheep without being seen. It takes a lot of time to steal the sheep and transport them to another location. With both the police and farmers patrolling, the crime will hopefully stop.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sheep-rustlers-ride-again-1003956.html
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