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A Buntingford alpaca farm has gone into 'shutdown' after a group of hunters lost control of a pack of dogs which went on to 'terrorise' the animals.

Police were called to Fairview Farm in Buntingford, home to Herts Alpacas, on Saturday, February 3, after receiving a report of a large pack of dogs running loose.

The dogs managed to enter the farm despite it being protected with fencing and barbed wire.

This caused not only distress to the alpacas but also left one pregnant female likely to abort, according to the farm's owner Nigel Beckwith.

Mr Beckwith said: “Over the weekend we were just carrying on with our normal business and there was a hunt which lost control of their pack.

“Their dogs came tearing across our field, terrorising our animals.

“We’ve got pregnant females and one of our old girls ran into a fence and has done some damage to herself.

“A lot of these animals will probably abort or they will give birth two or three months premature.”

He added: “They terrorised the hell out of the animals.

"We have now put our farm into shut down because these animals do not react well to stress."

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Although the farm makes money from fleeces, income mainly comes from the sale and breeding of alpacas.

"If the [pregnant females] abort or lose their pregnancy, we will have nothing to sell or breed from for a whole year which will have serious consequences for the viability of our business," continued Mr Beckwith.

Similarly, Mr Beckwith added that if an alpaca is heavily stressed, their fleeces will go tender and fall out - ultimately making them worthless.

Mr Beckwith also stressed that the hunt took place close to Buntingford town, as well as Layston Primary School, which is around 200 yards away. However it was held on a Saturday, when the school was closed.

He said: "There is a lot of danger to people and their pets.

“Why run a hunt so close to live stock and in an area where people are walking their dogs?

“I hope a hunt never does anything like this again.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary are working with Herts Alpacas following the incident and are continuing to make investigations.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 12.14pm on Saturday, February 3, to reports that a large pack of dogs were running loose and causing distress to approximately 65 alpacas in a private field off The Causeway, Buntingford.

“Officers attended the scene and all parties involved were spoken to.

“At the time of police attendance, the alpacas were distressed and it was not suitable to examine for physical injury.

“Police are in contact with the owners to monitor their post-incident welfare and assessment.

“Enquiries are continuing and no one has been arrested at this stage.

“If you witnessed what happened and have not yet spoken to police, or have any further information that could assist officers, please call 101 quoting crime reference A5/18/67.”

Chief Inspector Gerry McDonald added: "Over the weekend there has been reports to us and we are currently investigating these allegations.

"We are seeking specialist evidence grabs and advice on how we will be able to progress these matters immediately.

“My officers will be in contact with witnesses and have taken witness statements.

"I urge that if you have any information or evidence to let us know.

“This investigation is currently being managed by Sergeant Duncan Wallace.”

A statement on behalf of Puckeridge Hunt "While trail-hunting within the law on Saturday, regrettably it appears the scent of our trail must have drifted from where it was laid and some hounds unexpectedly entered the property belonging to the Beckwith family. "We removed the hounds as quickly as possible and apologised immediately to Mr Beckwith for this unintended access onto his property. "We have repeated this apology and are hopeful there will be no lasting damage to his alpaca herd. "However, we have been very open with Mr Beckwith and requested that if there are any further concerns then he should immediately raise them with the Puckeridge Hunt. "We also discussed this with the police on the day. "The Puckeridge Hunt has always enjoyed good relationships within the local community including with members of the public and our many farmers and landowners. "Thankfully incidents such as this are a very rare occurrence but we endeavour to deal with any concerns as promptly as possible."

Herts Alpacas is one of Hertfordshire's largest alpaca farms and home to more than 60 alpacas.

It breeds and sells animals in Europe, as well selling fleeces and running courses on how to handle the animal.