Injured sheep

“Cut off” ears: It was a fox

The flock of sheep in Riefensberg.(Bild: Privat)

Several injured and one dead sheep were found in a pasture in Riefensberg (Vorarlberg) at the beginning of January. The animals were missing their ears. An investigation has now revealed that the injuries were caused by a fox attack. 

At the beginning of January, two seriously injured and one dead sheep were found in a pasture in Riefensberg. Two animals had their ears cut off and one had cut-like wounds on its face. Both the owner and the police suspected that the attack could have been animal cruelty and an investigation was launched. A public health officer carried out an on-site inspection on the same day and took samples for laboratory tests.

(Bild: Privat)

But now the all-clear: the results of the tests arrived on Wednesday. The analyses revealed that the DNA of a fox was detected on the wound edges of all three sheep affected - the dead animal and the two injured ones. The initial suspicion of cruelty to animals was therefore not confirmed. The injuries to the sheep are demonstrably of animal origin, as the police explain.

Extremely sharp teeth
The teeth of a fox are so sharp that wounds could look as if they had been inflicted with a knife, according to the police.