Filming for the popular TV programme took place with Tom Heap recently
Following a number sheep being injured and killed by dogs in the parish last year, the community was instrumental in launching a new national initiative at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park earlier in the month: http://www.buriton.info/node/710
Within days of the launch, the BBC's Countryfile programme had made contact with us and travelled down here a couple of weeks ago to film part of our story.
The results - which will also include interviews with farmers and Police Forces elsewhere in the country - are due to be shown on BBC 1 at 7pm on Sunday (28th February).
Filming started at 8 o'clock in the morning at the Halls Hill entrance to the CountryPark where one of the most recent incidents had taken place. Local dog owner John Blair and family pet Wilfie explained what had happened and how this sort of thing can happen to anyone if dogs aren't on a lead whenever near sheep.
On this occasion no ewes were injured or killed - but, of course, at this time of year they would all be pregnant, so just being worried and chased by a dog will not have been good for them ?
The Countryfile team then interviewed local campaigner Terena Plowright, one of the driving forces in the new initiative to help protect our National Flock.
Tom Heap and researchers from the popular BBC programme were fascinated to hear about the aims and objectives of the SheepWatch UK initiative - and about the levels of interest and support it has generated in just a few short weeks: newspaper coverage in many parts of the country and messages on the project's Facebook page attracting a quarter of a million views?
One aspect of the project is to try to obtain better estimates of the scale of the problem - as many incidents are never reported or recorded. In January alone, the SheepWatch UK team learnt of 123 sheep killed (with many more attacked, injured or chased) by family pets. That's 4 healthy sheep (most of them probably pregnant) killed every day by dogs somewhere in the country - and that's probably not the whole picture as the project had barely started its recording system?
The project will also be encouraging farmers to put up better signs whenever sheep are in their fields and will also be producing a 'Toolkit' to help Parish Councils and communities throughout the country increase awareness of the issues and gradually change behaviours ?
SheepWatch UK is already working closely with dog owners, the Kennel Club, the National Farmers' Union, Police Forces and other interested organisations.
As Terena explained to Tom Heap, ?we don't have any funds yet, but we have the will to fight this and believe that communities across the country will feel the same way. We have a temporary website page and, if we can get some sponsorship or donations, we will soon be able to begin to make a difference.? The temporary website for SheepWatch UK is: http://www.terena.co.uk/sheepwatch-uk.html
