Rustling on the rise in NZ

Cattle and sheep rustling appears to be on the rise in Waikato and Bay of Plenty, with one particularly gruesome incident leaving a Rotorua farmer shocked.

The man, who did not want to be identified, found a cattle beast with its leg hacked off when he went to check his stock on Tuesday morning, the Daily Post reported.

"They just shot it from the road. They haven't even bled it. They just waited until it stopped kicking and then cut one of its legs off and just took the leg," he said.

"They've just hacked at the leg. It probably would have taken at least 10 minutes for it to stop kicking."

Caroline Swann, who farms at Ruapuke in the Waikato, last week surprised sheep rustlers on her property.

The 65-year-old had gone to investigate after hearing shots. She called the police and her nephew, Phil Swann, who lives nearby, the Waikato Times reported.

She found the heads and guts of two sheep, and a third had been shot in the head.

Mr Swann picked up the offenders' trail but they backed into his car, threw a bottle at him and waved a firearm.

"They were going quite fast, sliding around a bit," Mr Swann told the newspaper.

"Then they stopped again and backed into my vehicle. They threw a beer bottle at me and pulled a gun out."

Raglan police were investigating, with Constable Jason Kahika saying rustling was common in the area.

"The winter time is the most common time for cattle to go missing, and obviously with the recession and preparation for Christmas," he said.

"Because their farms are isolated, they're vulnerable and easy targets for rustlers."

- NZPA