A good Samaritan rescued two sheep caught in a fence on a farm in West Winfield, that she claims is notorious for loose or entangled animals.

Elizabeth Ann considers herself an animal advocate since they don’t have a voice. She says there has been an ongoing problem of animals getting loose on Violet Hill Farm off Route 51 in West Winfield, some getting hit in the road that is highly travelled. "You ask any of the town folk who travel this way, these animals are loose all the time and in the road. A month ago a cow was hit and killed by a truck trailering their sick horse at night. People have to scare them back in to save them."

Shannon is one of those people. "I've had to risk my own life to save baby cows from being hit by trucks because the fence is so not right," she said.

Janelle is another. "I almost hit a cow there about a month ago and then a few geese a before that."

If animals aren't in the road, Elizabeth says they are stuck in the fences. "It happens all the time."

Ethan can attest to that. "I’ve had to stop while riding bike and help animals get unstuck from the fence before they killed themselves struggling."

Elizabeth's husband notified police when he noticed two sheep entwined in the barbed wire Sunday. "Another woman stopped and we helped rescue them. I took photos for documentation purposes before getting both babies unraveled."

Photo Credit - Elizabeth Ann
Photo Credit - Elizabeth Ann
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One sheep ran off but the other had deep cuts from the wire wrapped around its neck and foot says Elizabeth. "There was quite a bit of blood. We bandaged up the leg and the sheep is now in bedded barn with fresh water and hay. She is receiving vet care as today."

Photo Credit - Elizabeth Ann
Photo Credit - Elizabeth Ann
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New York State Police responded and are continuing to investigate. "We made contact with the owner who is out of the area," said Public Relations Officer Jack Keller.

Elizabeth also called the SPCA and left a message Sunday. "I just want these animals in a safe environment."

"She did absolutely the best thing she could have done, which was call law enforcement," says Susquehanna SPCA Executive Director Stacie Haynes. "Unfortunately, we can’t be of much help because West Winfield is in Herkimer County. Moving forward, she is going to likely need more help from law enforcement and I advised her to ask her county representative where she should go with animal cruelty complaints."

Mary Carpenter and Paul Dench-Layton own Violet Hill Farm, where they raise seasonally pastured animals on 200 acres. "We stand firmly behind treating our environment and animals with the respect and kindness they deserve; from the hens that lay our eggs, the pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits and turkeys that feed us, the woods and fields that provide us food surprises and every bug and toad in between," reads the website.

"Everyone knows that farm and can tell you what they see when they go by," says Elizabeth. "Those animals are not treated with respect or kindness."

We have reached out to the farm owners for a comment on the investigation and are waiting to hear back. We'll update the story as soon as we do.


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