Tragedy as six animals poisoned from Yew tree branches
Six animals have tragically died at Nunny's Farm in Grimsby after being poisoned by Yew tree branches that were "mistaken" for Christmas trees and donated to the farm by members of the public.
Taking to social media, the owners of the popular Nunsthorpe attraction announced the devastating news that three of their Southdown sheep, Meeni, Mynie and Mo, have all died, along with their goats Megan, Ian and Holly, as a result of poisoning.
Despite refusing donations from members of the public and only accepting donations of Christmas trees from a "reputable source" - due to animals' tendency to eat them to cure an upset stomach - the farm still had Christmas trees left at the gates or thrown over the fence.
But tragically, branches from the toxic Yew tree, which is "often mistaken" for a Christmas tree, were mixed in with the donations.
The full post reads: "Each year around Christmas there is press coverage about how once the festive season is over the trees are great for ruminant animals (sheep, goats, alpacas), as they are a natural de-wormer and in the wild, animals would eat them to cure an upset stomach.
"In comparison, a Yew tree is a highly poisonous tree native to Britain and is easily mistaken for a Christmas tree. We agreed to have trees donated from a reputable source, otherwise refused donations but still had trees left at the gates or thrown over the fence.
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of three of our Southdown sheep (Meeni, Mynie and Mo) as well as three goats (Megan, and her twins Ian and Holly) due to poisoning from Yew tree branches mixed in with the Christmas Tree donations.
"The staff did all they could to save the animals and are working hard to keep the remaining flocks alive. All associated tree branches and leaves have been removed from the site.
"We have cared and nurtured these animals every single day of their lives, with Ian and Holly born at the farm. Please give our team time to deal with this sad news."
According to The Woodland Trust, all parts of the Yew tree are poisonous, and eating just a few leaves can make a small child severely ill. Some deaths have even been linked to Yew poisoning.