Petting zoo horror as three calves killed and mutilated by intruders

10 November 2023 , 08:38

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A calf being petted at Amerton Farm in Staffordshire, where intruders slaughtered three of the animals overnight

A farmer has spoken of their horror after three calves were slaughtered by intruders at their petting zoo.

The baby cows were killed by a suspected gang at their home at Amerton Farm - where managing director Eunice Finney described a scene of "carnage". She said the animals had been "mutilated" overnight.

The horrific incident is believed to have happened between 5.30pm on Monday, November 6, and 7am, Tuesday, November 7. The alarm was first raised when blood was found, along with signs of forced entry at the gate.

While the carcasses had been removed, parts of the calves' bodies and blood had been left at the farm in Stowe-by Chartley, Stafford. Eunice told Stoke on Trent Live: "Somebody has broken into our field and killed three calves. They were part of the farm, and they weren't very old. They were Hereford cross cows. They were fine on that night but then we found the carnage. They were mutilated. It has to be a gang that did it because they didn't know anything about animals to have done it like that. I'm distraught."

A police investigation is now underway, with officers visiting the site on Wednesday for a forensic examination of the area. It follows a similar incident in the area last month, where a cow was killed on a farm a mile away in the village Grindley. Police said the owner found the cow at the scene at 5.05pm on Wednesday 18 October, and that parts of the animal had been "harvested for meat".

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Following the latest incident, Stafford Borough Inspector, Rebecca Evans, said: “Officers remain in the area today and are continuing to progress lines of enquiry at pace and speak to those who might have information around potential suspects. Rural crime can have a profound impact on local people, businesses and communities. We are committed to acting on their concerns, policing rural areas as proactively as possible and finding new ways to support the needs and priorities of our communities.”

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas