Warning details in this story might be disturbing to some readers.
A local alpaca farmer near Pike Lake, Sask., is living out his worst nightmare after a pair of dogs attacked his herd, killing three alpacas and injuring many more.
“It was a horror show,” said Rick Derksen, who is an owner of High Plains Alpacas.
Derksen said the herd alerted him to the attack which occurred around 8 p.m. Monday.
“Alpacas make a distinctive distress call when any animals are threatening them,” he said. “We ran out, but it was too late. Two of them had already been killed and a third one was being attacked from the front and the back.”
The attack caught Derksen and his family off guard despite security cameras on the property. It has also left them — and the rest of the herd — traumatized
“We’re mentally torn from these alpacas that we’ve raised since they were babies,” Derksen said. “The herd is extremely traumatized. They usually go to a pasture way far from this area, but they won’t go out any further than this because they’re too scared.”
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Derkson also said his family has been losing sleep over the danger to the herd. “It’s totally ruined our lives. I have another business that I can’t even concentrate on.
“I have to phone these people… I can’t produce for them. And it’s because we have to now continually stay with our herd to try to save them in case these dogs return, because these dogs have not been found yet or taken care of yet.”
Derksen said the two dogs he believes were responsible for the attack were reported to officials more than a year ago for posing threats local livestock. It’s unclear where they come from.
The Saskatchewan RCMP were not able to provide a statement on the attack but say they have been notified.
The incident comes on the heels of other similar attacks in towns like Allan, Sask., where RCMP say they received six reports of attacks from one pack of local dogs.
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