Perenjori and Carnamah Police investigate 84 stolen sheep from a property in Coorow

Carnamah and Perenjori police are investigating the theft of more than 80 Merino sheep missing from a Coorow property, which appears to have involved a large vehicle and dog. A farmer discovered 84 hogget lambs with red ear tags had been taken from the property on the Coorow-Greenhead Road on Monday, March 20. Perenjori police allege a truck or a vehicle with a trailer was reversed up to the side of a fence line with an unlocked gate, the gate was opened and the sheep were herded on to the vehicle. There was evidence of dog paw prints left at the scene. Perenjori Sgt Nathan Good said the last count was taken by a professional stock agent at the end of February, with 399 sheep confirmed before the loss. “The next count they were 84 short. You wouldn’t lose that many in a paddock over that amount of time,” he said. “Some you can write off to death or misadventure but not when you lose 84 in a month.” The estimated loss is worth $16,800, or $200 per head. “It’s quite hard to get them through a stock agent because they’re all tagged and they wont accept them with their ears cut, so it’s either someone’s moved them on to their own property or they’ve got a private abattoir,” he said. Another report of stolen sheep further south came to Perenjori police in early December last year, but Sgt Good said police were not linking the two reports. “Nothing indicates that they were related,” he said. “They’re opportunistic thefts, someone will be driving past that road every couple of days and see the sheep.” Sgt Good said stock theft was a “fairly regular” occurrence across the State and police would continue to investigate. “If you see something unusual give us a call when it’s happening, not three days or a month later,” he said.