The owner of a therapy animal farm says she has been left devastated after several of her animals were stolen.
Julia Stewart said that eight sheep and four turkeys disappeared from Farmyard Friends CIC near Messingham in North Lincolnshire sometime between Sunday, 5 April, and Monday, 6 April.
In a post on social media, Stewart said she was heartbroken and described feeling physically sick at the thought of her animals being harmed.
Humberside Police confirmed that its Rural Task Force is investigating the theft and has asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.
Stewart, who has spent the past two years building up the farm, cares for a range of animals there, including pigs, horses, and donkeys.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, she said arriving at the farm and discovering some of the animals were gone was deeply upsetting. She explained that each animal has its own name and personality, adding that the sheep are so friendly and trusting that they are more like dogs than livestock.
She said her biggest fear is that, because the animals are so used to people and do not see humans as a threat, they would not have known to protect themselves.
Police said officers are still working to establish the full circumstances of the theft and identify those responsible. They are especially asking for any CCTV or other information from around the time the animals are believed to have been taken.
The incident comes just two weeks after storms caused major damage to parts of the farm, destroying some of the animal shelters and even blowing one structure onto the road.
Stewart said the team had already been trying to recover and rebuild after the storm damage, and this latest blow has made the situation even harder.