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An investigation has been launched after a number of bulls were found dead on a Hawke's Bay property.
SPCA animal welfare inspector David Stiles said the bulls were on a property run by the Te Aute Trust College Board Farm, south of Waipawa.
A concerned neighbour, John Saunders, reported the bulls' deaths on Thursday when he found them on his boundary, Mr Stiles said.
"All I can say at this point is that I did an investigation in the presence of a vet and a sample from the brain of one of the bulls was taken to be taken away for analysis. That has not come back yet," Mr Stiles said.
Six or seven bulls died from a herd of 49 cattle. All the other cattle were in good condition, he added.
Mr Saunders told Hawke's Bay Today it appeared the bulls had died over a period of days, not all at once.
- NZPA