Dozens of lambs have been killed in a Kingussie field by dogs which attacked the sheep through the night from Sunday until Monday.

Police have charged the dog owner responsible, who has given up the three Husky dogs voluntarily. The farmer, Stuart Annand, said: “It has been horrendous for the family. The dogs killed at least 30 lambs with more dying every day. We need to raise awareness to stop arrogant dog owners allowing this to happen again.”

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The 78 Texel and Suffolk lambs had been in the field on the edge of Kingussie for three weeks without incident. Mr Annand checked on them on the evening of Sunday September 11, and all was well. But later that night the three dog attack happened, killing and injuring lambs until morning.

Mr Annand said: “I was round the lambs on Sunday night thinking how well they were looking then on Monday morning we got a call from a dog walker saying there were three Husky dogs in the field and dead lambs. When we arrived the only sheep in the park were the 18 dead and all the live lambs were across a deep burn huddled on the far bank.

"The dogs had hunted them all night and they had fled across the burn. We had to dispatch four of the lambs that morning who were not going to survive and since then we have lost another 12 lambs. Running for their lives the lambs has managed to get across the burn, so were soaked and frozen all night which has resulted in pneumonia.

"Going through water in the burn has also meant septicaemia in the wounds caused by the dog bites. Currently we have 32 lambs with bites and injuries undergoing treatment. There are several lambs missing altogether which most likely were washed down the burn in the dark. We were up to our waists in the water on Monday bringing the sheep off the far bank of the burn. It wasn’t easy as the poor things were so terrified they wouldn’t move.”

He added: “We alerted the police as soon as we were in the field and I would like to say they have been first class.”

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Mr Annand went on to explain that this was not the first incident with these Husky dogs. He said: “This is a repeat incident with the same dogs and owner. Last October the owner compensated us for their dogs killing two sheep and they were bound to keep their dogs under control. We have a right of way through the farm and 80% of the dog owners who use the route are fine, but 20% of them can be abusive if you ask them to put their dog on the lead. They say ‘my dog doesn’t bother sheep, it’s fine’ or ‘there are no stock in this field’.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.10am on Monday, September 12, 2022, police were called to a farm in the Kingussie area, following the deaths of a number of sheep. Enquiries were carried out and a 55-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident. He has given up ownership of the dogs in question and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”