Information is being sought by the police after a sheep was thought to have been deliberately killed on farmland in Kent.
The deceased ewe, which was in lamb, was discovered by a farmer in a field off Betsham Road at around 7am on Sunday 29 March.
Police believe the sheep was deliberately killed any time after 6.45pm the previous evening.
A lamb is also reported to have been stolen from the same field on Friday 27 March.
Officers from Kent Police’s Rural Task Force are investigating the circumstances and are satisfied the injuries the sheep sustained could not have been caused by another animal.
Sergeant Darren Walshaw, from the task force, said it is an 'extremely distressing' incident for the farmer.
"Farm animals can unfortunately be a target for poachers, which we believe is the case here, and we do not underestimate the impact this type of crime has on farmers," he said.
"We take this type of crime seriously and if anyone travelling in this area witnessed anything suspicious on the night of 28/ 29 March I encourage them to call us on 01474 366149 quoting 46/55897/20.
"You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or using the anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org."
It comes after three men were recently jailed for a total of over eleven years following a campaign of barbaric illegal sheep butchery across Northamptonshire.
