A VEGAN activist kidnapped a lamb from a farm and nearly killed it in a botched attempt to hand rear it.
Louise Murguia abducted the baby sheep from a field in the middle of the night because she thought it was injured and she could take care of it.
The 49-year-old took it home where she shampooed it to remove the identification number on its fleece, dressed it in a nappy, and fed it cow’s milk and formula she bought from for £35.
She kept the tiny bleater in her house for three weeks before acting on a tip off turned up and found it malnourished, small and “limp”;;.
It then needed a week of intensive care to nurse it back to health.
The animal belonged to farmer Stuart Ludwell of Hile Farm, Sturminster Newton in .
One of Mr Ludwell's ewes had died suddenly the night before the theft in March in last year, leaving two lambs orphaned that would need to be hand reared.
As it was dark at the time he decided to wait until the following morning to retrieve them so as not to distress the other ewes and newborns by chasing them.
But when he returned to the field with his wife and two children, they could only find one of the lambs. They assumed the other must have been taken by a fox.
It was not until three weeks later he received a tip off that the little grazer had in fact been taken by Murguia who lives nearby and walks her dog in the area.
She later told police she had taken the lamb because it appeared to have a broken leg and she thought it would not survive the night.
But she did not seek medical treatment for it and simply made a splint for its leg herself.
When it was recovered by police, the stolen lamb weighed just 5.8kg, while its twin brother, who was hand reared by the Ludwell , weighed 9.95kg.
Murguia posted on at the time: “I am a vegan, hate me if you like.
I love and respect .”
Mr Ludwell said in his victim impact statement: “I was relieved it was alive, but shocked by its poor condition – it's sibling was nearly double the size and it could barely stand.
“It took over a week of intensive medical care to ensure the lamb's survival and a significant amount of money and time.
“The entire ordeal has left me angry – stealing a lamb under the guise of welfare only to keep it in solitary confinement.”
Murguia has now been banned from keeping sheep indefinitely after she was convicted of theft and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Luisa Rose, prosecuting, said: “Officers attended the address, she did not answer, but was located in her bedroom with the missing lamb, which was in a nappy.
“She claimed she was due to take it to the animal sanctuary later that day.
“The officers who seized the lamb said it looked very small, lacked energy and was limp in the officer's arms.
“It was examined by a vet who compared it to the brother born on the same day and concluded that the lamb had been receiving inadequate nutrition.
“She was interviewed by police and said she was an animal lover, she had seen a sick and dead sheep in the field and returned at night to take the lamb, which she said had a bad leg.”
‘INCOMPETENT, UNWISE AND ULTIMATELY ILLEGAL'
Murguia, of Sturminster Newton, admitted one offence of theft and one of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Ben Thompson, defending, told Crown Court Murguia had difficulty accepting what she did was wrong.
He said: “She took it home to care for it and cared for it in the best way she could. It was incredibly unorthodox.
“She shampooed the lamb, made a bed for it on the sofa and was feeding it cow's milk.
“When it wasn't gaining enough weight, she bought some specialist milk from Amazon for £35.
“It came from a well intentioned but incredibly poorly executed place.
“She wanted to get her to the animal sanctuary but got attached and kept hold of the lamb longer than she should have, but she didn't think she was mistreating it.
“She knows now that what she did was wrong and she shouldn't have interfered, but at the time her heart ruled her head.
“It was well intentioned but incompetent care. Unwise and ultimately illegal.”
Recorder Nicholas Haggan KC sentenced Murguia to a 12-month community order with a six-month treatment requirement and six rehabilitation activity days.
He also made an indefinite restraining order preventing Murguia from contacting Mr Ludwell, going to his farm or feeding any livestock within two miles of it and banned her from keeping or owning sheep indefinitely.
