Goats killed

By Paul Pickering
A BELGRAVE Heights man says he watched his two kid goats being viciously mauled by a Rottweiler.
Ralph Wilson last week described feeling powerless on his own property after witnessing the second fatal attack on his livestock in the space of five months.
In June, the Mail reported Mr Wilson’s calls for owners to take responsibility for their dogs after the gruesome death of his 20-year-old goat.
But on Sunday 30 September, he was again alarmed by the familiar cries of terror as his two pedigree milking goats – both aged less than four months – were attacked by a Rottweiler that had managed to get into their pen.
Mr Wilson said that one goat died on the spot and the other perished shortly after from shock.
While the Shire of Yarra Ranges is currently investigating the incident, Mr Wilson has appealed to the shire to protect his pets and his rights as a resident.
“It’s my right to be able to have animals on my property but I’ve got seven acres and I can’t run anything smaller than a cow (for fear of another attack),” he said.
Mr Wilson said he thought the shire rangers were ‘basically powerless’ to stop such attacks because of a shortage of staff and resources.
Shire of Yarra Ranges community relations manager James Martin, however, noted that no amount of staff could physically prevent attacks from occurring.
Mr Martin pointed to the shire’s record of prosecuting irresponsible dog owners, saying that the onus would always remain on the owner to secure their dog or face the consequences.
The shire has summoned the owner of the dog who Mr Wilson believes is responsible for the attack for a formal interview.