Residents of the seaside hamlet of Taieri Mouth, south of Dunedin, are keeping a watchful eye on their properties following a spate of burglaries and strange happenings in the area.
In the past three weeks, there have been reports of pet sheep, chainsaws and a dinghy being stolen and of a prowler in the area.
Resident Caroline Cook said a pet lamb and ewe were taken from her property, something which had left her children "distraught".
In a comment on odt.co.nz, she aimed her anger at the people who had stolen the sheep: "Did you think about the two distraught kids I have got at home - who know enough about human greed to work out that the sheep didn't just go walkabout?
"Coincidentally, they went missing the same day - Wednesday last week in fact - that two other sheep were taken from up Kuri Bush way, and slaughtered on the side of the road."
Ms Cook said she had come home a couple of days after the sheep were stolen to find gates unlocked and their remaining pet lamb wandering in front of their house. She believed their two dogs may have scared off an intruder.
Police had been notified.
