GILL — A pack of wild dogs attacked and killed two newborn calves in a pasture on Main Road in Gill earlier this week, and local police are warning residents to be on the lookout for them.
Gill Chief David Hastings said the incident happened around 1 p.m. Monday, when the farmer was able to observe the dogs dragging one of the newborn calves into the nearby woodline.
Hastings said the animals could have been coyotes or coy dogs — a mix of domestic dogs and coyotes — but he isn’t sure.
It is rare, he said, for animals to be attacked by wild dogs during the daytime and said it was likely a simple moment of opportunity for the dogs if they happened to be in the area.
They haven’t been seen since, he said.
“I’ve been chief up here for more than 20 years and I’ve never seen this happen,” Hastings said, noting he grew up on a dairy farm.
“What they found were two newborns in a defenseless state, very close to the woodline,” he said. “The dogs didn’t have to come out of the woods much.”
Typically, the dogs don’t approach humans.
The adult cow had no marks or evidence of being bit, Hastings said, which leads him to believe she died during the birthing process, leaving the calves in an extremely vulnerable position.
He estimated the loss to the farmer at about $2,000. The farmer told him there’s no insurance for this sort of incident.
Hastings said farmers have the right to defend their livestock, but no one else has a right to shoot a coyote out of season, by law.
He said residents should call local law enforcement or environmental police if they encounter wild dogs.
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
trelihan@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264
On Twitter, @RecorderTom