A SHEEP has been seriously injured in the second dog attack on a Hampshire beauty spot in a month.

A dog off its lead chased livestock grazing at the St Catherines’s Hill nature reserve near Winchester, attacking a sheep in the neck and leaving it badly injured yesterday evening.

The dog owner came forward and contacted Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, which manage the nature reserve, which meant officers could get and treat the animal as soon as possible.

The incident comes fewer than four weeks after a similar attack left a ewe so brutally injured that it was unable to eat and drink, and had to be put down by a vet.

Signs at nature reserves like St Catherine’s Hill warn visitors when livestock are present, and ask dogs to be kept on leads or under close control. However these instructions aren’t always followed, which leads to incidents such as these.

A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust spokesperson said: “This traumatic incident just goes to show how common dog attacks on livestock are. We’re grateful to the owner for coming forward, which meant we were able to treat the animal as soon as possible. However the sheep is now in severe shock, and the next few days are not looking good.

“Free-roaming dogs often harm, or sometimes even kill, livestock and wildlife. It’s absolutely crucial that while in the countryside dog owners look out for livestock, and follow instructions about keeping their dogs on leads or under close control.”

The trust is using sheep to graze the hill as it is a traditional way of managing wildlife habitats.

Dog owners visiting nature reserves are requested to keep their dogs on leads and under control to avoid disturbing wildlife and livestock.