An appeal for information has gone out after a suspected shooting of a sheep on an Argyll estate.
It was initially feared that there had been a case of sheep worrying by a dog when the injured animal was found on Ederline Estate in Ford village, by Loch Awe.
A villager who spotted the sheep with a head injury in the field behind the schoolhouse contacted estate owner Willa Wilson on Saturday.
Mrs Wilson said: “It was someone in the village who spotted it and sent me the photograph on Saturday afternoon.
“I spoke to our farm manager who went straight out to check. He had seen them on the Friday afternoon and everything was fine.
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“I saw the sheep when it was brought into the yard. It was found dead in the field. Basically it had sort of been scalped. It was like a bullet had gone into the skin and taken off the top of its head.
“No-one can prove it but I can’t think of anything else that would have done that damage. Neither can the police.
“We have never had anything like that before. We don’t know if it was somebody poaching a deer or what. We just don’t know. If that’s what’s happened it’s horrendous.”
She said this tup was not in a field with any other males so it was not injured in a fight.
Sergeant Iain MacNicol said: “Police received a call which was initially believed to be a case of sheep worrying. But there was a mark on its head and the theory was it might have been shot, but that has not been confirmed.”
A police spokesman said: “Police received a report of a sheep that had died in the Ford area and the injury was initially thought to have been a dog attack which occurred between Friday December 7 and Saturday December 8.
“Following an initial examination of the sheep, the injury does not appear to have been caused by a dog attack and inquiries are ongoing to confirm what took place. We would appeal for anyone who witnessed shooting in the area around that time or has any information to contact Lochgilphead Police Station on telephone 101.”