More than 300 lambs stolen from Western District farm

Victoria Police are investigating after lambs worth $60,000 to $70,000 were fleeced from a farm in Victoria’s west.

Lambs from a 240-hectare Dundonell property have been reported stolen. Picture: File (Zoe Phillips).

Victoria Police are investigating after more than 300 lambs were reported stolen from a Western District farm.

Warrnambool police crime investigation unit Detective Senior Constable David Hughson said 340 Merino cross White Suffolk lambs have been stolen from a Dundonell property in the state’s west.

Police believe the alleged offenders stole the lambs from a 240-hectare farm located north of Darlington, which was home to a flock of 1650 ewes and lambs.

Victoria Police believe the theft occurred between six to eight weeks ago, placing it in about mid-late September.

They also believe offenders may have used a large truck and working dogs in the process of stealing the lambs.

The estimated value of the stolen lambs is reportedly $60,000 to $70,000.

Anyone with information about sheep and livestock thefts is requested to contact Warrnambool Police on 03 5560 1333 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Last November Victoria Police were also investigating a separate sheep theft after about 600 sheep were reported stolen from a western Victorian property in two incidents.

Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit detectives and Farm Crime Coordination Unit were investigating the thefts from a Lexton property, which included stud quality sheep and breeding rams.

In the first incident, 585 12-month-old merino sheep of mixed sex were stolen from a farm on the Sunraysia Highway, Lexton, between July 23 and September 19 last year.

In a second incident, police believed another 16 merino rams were stolen from the same farm between November 4 and November 6 last year.