Mystery over piles of dead animals dumped outside shop weeks after school was targeted

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Dozens of dead animals have been dumped outside a village shop – the second sick attack targeting the area.

Bloodied carcasses have been strewn across the streets and pavements in Broughton, Hampshire.

In the latest sinister incident, dozens of dead hares were dumped at the entrance of the community shop.

To make the discovery even more disturbing, the offenders had impaled an owl and kestrel on the door handles.
They had also smeared animal blood and guts over the windows on Thursday night.

Locals blame illegal poachers hunting in the area with links to gangs who run international gambling syndicates, MailOnline reported.

The attacks are a threatening warning to stay out of it, locals believe.

In February, dead animals were dumped outside Awbridge Primary School about 10 miles from the village.

Staff found a headless dear, rabbits, pheasants and hares at the shocking scene, with some animals crushed in the middle of the road.
Mike Jelen, a conservation manager who works on the estates in the area, said:

‘This is now happening twice a week.

‘It’s total anarchy and the police are doing little about it. By dumping the bodies like this, the poachers are sticking two fingers up to farmers and rural communities’.
Farmers and landowners are ‘constantly’ trying to prevent the attacks and putting themselves at risk, he said.

A pheasant poacher reportedly opened fire recently on a farmer who confronted them, the outlet said.

One farmer, whose land has been the targeted repeatedly, said the poachers are ‘basically laughing in our faces’.

They added: ‘The horrific display they left outside our community shop is obviously meant to let us know they’re invincible’.
Broughton Community Shop said in a statement they had reported it to the police and asked residents to share CCTV footage of the High Street area from 3am to 3.45am on Thursday.

The shop wrote on its social media: ‘Safe to say non of us were expecting our day to start as it did this morning at Broughton Community Shop.

‘We’re ok. Shocked but ok.

‘Thank you again for all of your help, we are so lucky and grateful for your support and extremely quick response to help us clear up’.

Residents and businesses expressed their horror in the comments, with another shop labelling the attack as ‘pure needless destruction of our beautiful world’.

‘My heart broke when I heard what happened’, they wrote.

Rick Aplin said: ‘Horrible for you all, and very similar to what happened outside Awbridge Primary School a few months back’.

Four months before the school was targeted, 40 deceased animals were dumped on Longstock Road, Stockbridge, the Hampshire Chronicle reported. (Metro)

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