Farmers in Clara Vale, Co Wicklow have been trying to capture a dog which attacked sheep for over a month without any luck. It is one of two dogs that killed four sheep and mauled others on Patrick Healy’s farm on 29 December. One dog was shot but the second, described as a large brown ridgeback type animal, is still roaming. Healy set up cameras after the sheep were killed and has captured images of the dog.

“We saw his tracks in the snow last week, so he’s still out there,” Patrick told the Irish Farmers Journal. “We’ve been to the Gardai and one of the OPW representatives told me to talk to a dog warden about a trap. However the dog warden refused to give me a trap because it would not be monitored enough if a wild animal was caught”.

Healy expressed frustration that the dog warden was not willing to help. Farmers in the area want the problem solved before lambing begins.