Cattle mauled to death by pack of 'errant dogs' in Totara Park

Monday, 10 June 2019

A herd of cattle has been repeatedly mauled and mutilated by dogs over the past year.

Peter and Anne Hinton's herd, which grazes at Totara Park in Manukau in south Auckland, has been attacked four times in the past year, killing two and leaving many severely injured.

The couple wanted to warn other farmers and pet owners in the area that a pack of 'errant dogs' was loose in the community.

'In November of 2018 there was a severe attack on our stock,' Anne Hinton said.

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'Then two weeks ago there was another attack which left our animals badly mutilated and two had to be euthanised, last week there were two more attacks.'

Her cattle were 'big beasts' Anne Hinton said, so it was surprising to her that dogs would try to take them on.

Stretching over 216 hectares Totara Park is one of the largest parks in the Manukau area.

Animal Management has been out to the scenes of the attacks on multiple occasions, Peter Hinton said, and had captured one dog but the attacks continued.

'They found a dog in the park and captured it and did DNA testing which proved it had been involved with the attacks, but it didn't stop after that.'

The repeated attacks had cost the Hintons a 'significant' amount of money and stress - with vet visits and the cost of hiring a digger to bury the dead.

'I reckon we would have spent about three of four thousand already,' Peter Hinton said.

A spokeswoman for Auckland Council said she had heard Animal Management was still looking for the dogs involved.