An alpaca named Lenny was found by residents of Sydhavnstippen on Sunday morning with a spike protruding from its stomach that was nearly one metre long.
Lenny was one of two alpacas imported into the local area last spring to chase away dogs that scare the resident sheep. Brought in as part of the conservation of the area, the sheep are chiefly there to eat the hogweed that grows wild and must be contained.
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Torben Christensen from the Sydhavnstippen’s sheep’s guild said the attack was a clear case of animal cruelty.
“We have had episodes of loose dogs chasing sheep,” Christensen told Ekstra Bladet. “We used the alpacas to scare the dogs away.”
Christensen said there have also been incidents of dogs being drowned in the area, possibly on purpose by dog bite victims.
Out of its misery
Animal protection groups Dyrenes Beskyttelse and Børnenes Dyremark were contacted after the gruesome discovery, and they decided to immediately put the animal down with a bolt gun to end its misery.
The case has also been reported to the police, and Christensen encouraged people to contact the police if they saw or heard anything suspicious in the area.
