A Northern Irish farmer is living in constant fear of having his sheep mutilated at night.
Gerald McLaughlin, who farms in the Sperrin Mountains, near Feeney, Dungiven, with his wife and sons, has had newborn lambs attacked on his farm for the past two decades.
Easter is supposed to be a time for newborn lambs to be springing around the fields, but for Gerald, Good Friday saw another two of his young lambs have their tongues mysteriously cut off.
Even though this barbaric act has been ongoing for years no culprit, whether it be man or beast, has ever been caught in the act.
Back in 2008 Gerald was losing on average a sheep per week.
As the tongues were cut from the lamb’s heads they either bled to death or Gerald had no alternative but to have them put down.
In total, over 400 animals have been attacked in what Mr McLaughlin described as an “evil, cruel and barbaric act”.
He said: “In the past three weeks there has been another 15 incidents including two on Good Friday.
“Our farm buildings are a short distance up the road from our dwellinghouse.
“When we went home on Good Friday for some coffee someone or something entered the shed where the sheep are housed and cut the tongues from two young lambs.
“We have tried many times to catch whoever or whatever is cutting the tongues off, but we have never found anything. I even employed an outside security firm to come in and look after the place overnight. They found nothing and it cost me a fortune.”
Since the first time the incidents happened Mr McLaughlin has repeatedly informed the authorities including the Department of Agriculture, local vets and the police.
All of the authorities have carried out their own investigations into the claims but none of them have shed any light on what is going on.
“It has never stopped,” he said as he dealt with the latest incidents.
“They claim that it is birds taking the tongues out of them but I’m sure beyond all reasonable doubt that isn’t right.
“And if it was birds, why only my farm?
“There is a farmer on one side with 300 sheep and another on the other with a couple of hundred ewes with only a wire fence between us and it isn’t happening to them.”
The police have been left baffled by the incidents but continue to investigate.
Both the police and the department said they were aware of the situation and were continuing to monitor the incidents.