Longreach's Major Organised Crime Squad officers are combing through forensic evidence and Crimestoppers leads in an effort to track down the perpetrator of a callous shooting spree that killed 41 horses last week.
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Police were notified of the deaths on Yanburra Station, about 60km north of Longreach at around 4pm last Thursday, giving them an hour-and-a-half of daylight in which to conduct initial investigations.
In that time they discovered that 36 horses - geldings, colts, pregnant mares and mares with foals at foot - had been shot inhumanely, some multiple times.
Returning on Friday they located another five horses that had died in the 2025ha paddock, from a mob of 300 running on the property.
Initial investigations indicate the horses were killed sometime between Tuesday, August 3 and Wednesday, August 4.
MOCS Longreach OIC Detective Sergeant Allan Cook described the scene in the paddock abutting the Cramsie-Muttaburra Road as a 'turkey shoot' and said it was one of the worst things he'd seen in 30 years of policing.
He said the community was reeling at the news.
"These horses weren't brumbies; they were used as breeding stock, and were all owned by the property's owner," he said. "They were precious animals that been reared through many years of drought.
"That is why the Queensland Police Service is working extremely closely with partner agencies to identify the person or people responsible."
MOCS Rural Longreach detectives are leading the investigation, with the assistance of local police and partner agencies.
DS Cook said that as well as returning on Friday with veterinarians to ensure they had found all the dead or injured horses, they had enlisted the help of Department of Agriculture staff and their own technical officers to carry out further investigations.
"There are many motives to go through - it's early days," he said.
The owner of the property was not home at the time of the incident.
Police are appealing for anybody with information to contact police at the Policelink website, or by calling 131 444. Crimes can also be reported anonymously online via Crime Stoppers or by ringing 1800 333 000.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
