Four men were arrested this morning after 11 sheep were found
crammed into a hatchback car on the outskirts of Hastings.
Police said they were appalled to find the animals being
transported in the small four-door hatchback which was pulled
over about 1am during a patrol.
Constable Darren Cooper said it was only luck that none of
the animals had died.
All the sheep had since been returned to their owners.
The men were charged with theft and ill treatment of animals
and would appear in Hastings District Court this week.
In August 2010 two Hastings men were jailed after police
discovered 14 sheep in their Mazda 626 in Flaxmere.
In that case two of the sheep suffocated and died. A third
man involved was sentenced to home detention.
The three had at various times scouted likely mobs of sheep,
caught them, hog-tied them,"stacked and crammed" them into
vehicles, then killed and cut them up either for their own
consumption or for sale.
Ill treatment of animals carries a maximum penalty of six
months in jail and/or a $25,000 fine.
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