Four goats have died after a herd was “chased to their deaths” by out-of-control dogs.

The attack happened at Kent Wildlife Trust’s Bigbury Camp Nature Reserve near Canterbury, where the grazing animals suffered dislocated joints and heart and lung damage from being repeatedly hounded.

Two of the goats were found with limbs flapping and in such poor health the difficult decision was made to euthanise them, while the other two had been chased to the point of exhaustion and died at the scene.

The charity says it is shocked and saddened and is appealing for witnesses.

Bosses are also complaining it is the latest in a series of incidents of out-of-control dogs chasing animals, including sheep and Konik ponies.

Although the goats were not actually bitten in the latest attack on Monday, the clear evidence is that they were chased to exhaustion.

The 15-string goat herd, now down to 11, is part of the Trust’s wilder grazing programme which uses animals to restore and shape habitats naturally.

Area manager Alison Ruyter, who leads Kent Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Grazing Programme, says the charity is seeing a worrying increase in incidents where owners appear oblivious to the damage their dog is doing.

“Recently a dog attacked our Hebridean sheep at Queensdown Warren near Sittingbourne, but when challenged the owner said her dog was simply playing with the sheep and claimed the animal enjoyed it,” she said.

“In another incident at Darland Banks in Gillingham, a large dog chased our Konik ponies. When asked to bring it under control, the owner said ‘it’s OK, they’re horse meat anyway’,

“The ignorance of these owners is not only staggering but dangerous.

“There are many wonderful dog owners who visit our reserves regularly and help us by keeping their pets under control around our animals, picking up after them and respecting others using the reserves.

“It’s hard to imagine such irresponsible people still exist to cause so much harm to these animals…..”

“But we are seeing more and more of these incidents and ask that anyone who has information that can help us tackle this behaviour to come forward.”

The death of the goats at the Chartham site sparked outrage on Kent Wildlife Trust’s social media pages.

One user wrote “Genuinely heartbroken. I visit Bigbury multiple times a week and the sweet, gentle goats were such a pleasure to see. Hard to imagine such irresponsible people still exist to cause so much harm to these animals.”

Another said: “Horrific. I am a dog owner and it makes me so angry that other dog owners have no responsibility. They should be banned from owning animals for life. RIP little kids.”

Signs erected at the site say: “Someone is killing our goats. After four years of living side by side with local, responsible dog walkers, it seems that someone irresponsible has started using the site.

“Is your dog always in sight and under effective control? Have you spotted a loose dog when out walking here? Could there be an unaccompanied dog escaping from a nearby garden?”

The incident has been reported to police and anyone with information should call 111, quoting reference number 18-0839.