Stolen sheep found crammed into van

Two Gisborne youths have been charged with theft after police found 22 sheep crammed into a van early this morning.

The sheep were found in the Mitsubishi L300 van after police tracked the vehicle to a Rimu St property after it was driving suspiciously in the city around 2am today.

Senior Sergeant Maui Aben said police were alerted to the van after a patrol car saw it do an illegal u-turn in the central city and then being driven erratically. Police attempted to follow it, but lost sight of it. A quick search of the area led police to the Rimu St property and the van was found parked in the backyard.

Mr Aben said despite the 22 sheep being “packed in like sardines”, they seemed in good health and did not appear distressed. They were taken into the care of the Gisborne District Council’s animal control unit.

It was not known where the sheep were stolen from, but police were researching ear tag information on the sheep. Anyone who is missing sheep in the area is asked to contact police.

“Rustling is a major problem for rural areas not just in the Tairawhiti area, but all across the country. It impacts heavily on our local communities and stock losses place a heavy financial burden on our farmers. This activity will not be tolerated and police will be coming down hard on anyone who steals stock,” Mr Aben said.

The two youths aged 16 and 17 are due to appear in the Gisborne Youth Court today.

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