Three sheep were beaten and stabbed to death at Omao Farms outside Lawa‘i last Saturday night, provoking anger from their owner, a former member of the Kaua‘i County Council and the island’s most vocal advocate for animal safety. “I have
Three sheep were beaten and stabbed to death at Omao Farms outside Lawa‘i last Saturday night, provoking anger from their owner, a former member of the Kaua‘i County Council and the island’s most vocal advocate for animal safety.
“I have had sheep killed by stray dogs and wild pigs, but never a senseless cruel act like this, where sheep were just beaten and stabbed to death,” Daryl Kaneshiro, Omao Farms owner and former councilmember, said in a news release.
Dr. Becky Rhoades, the executive director of the Kauai Humane Society, said the slaughter of helpless animals was senseless and that the person who committed the crime is a danger to the community.
“Their violence may escalate towards people and we need to do what we can to identify them and prevent further violence,” she said in a statement.
Rhoades said the sheep were killed some time Saturday night and that Kaneshiro found them dead in the pasture the next day.
Rhoades said Kaneshiro reported two adult pregnant ewes and one adult Mouflon ram had multiple knife wounds, broken bones and bruising from the beatings.
Kaneshiro said the sheep appeared spooked when he visited them earlier Saturday, as if they had been chased by dogs or humans on Friday.
The sheep, however, were all accounted for and in good condition when he left his farm late Saturday afternoon, he said.
Omao Farms and the Humane Society have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who committed the crime.
People with information on the case can call 632-0610.
