Alpacas moved over safety fears

A group of alpacas have had to be moved from Pinchbeck due to concerns for their safety.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have been living on land off Northgate by the River Glen for a decade.
But owners Samantha and Paul Jeffrey says the quartet have been subject to ‘an escalation in violence’ recently so have been moved to a sanctuary near Legsby.
“Over the years we have had isolated incidents of kids chasing them or throwing things at them,” Samantha said. “This was always upsetting as the alpacas are docile creatures and this would cause them a lot of stress.

“On one occasion, Mark was so upset by the stress that he laid down and barely moved for two days.
“However in the past 12 months, this anti-social behaviour has increased.
“We continue to have people refusing to keep their dogs on leads.
“More than once we have had out of control dogs chasing the alpacas while dog-fouling has also been an ever-present threat.
“The final straw has been the escalation in violence against these poor animals from groups of kids who have thrown sticks, bottles and bricks at them.
“On Sunday April 10, a group attempted to herd two of the alpacas out onto the road.
“When a neighbour spotted and challenged them, they hurled abuse and threats at her and dropped their trousers.

“Clearly, had they succeeded, the alpacas could have been killed and a driver seriously injured hitting such a large animal.
“As there is a footpath through our land, it has been difficult to protect against those who have such little regard for these gentle animals.
“So the very difficult decision was made and the alpacas have now been rehomed to a sanctuary where they can live without fear.
“It still feels very raw, and it is very strange looking out and not seeing our boys, but we had to do what was right for them. We will miss them.”