A POST-mortem examination carried out on the latest sheep killings on Dartmoor has revealed the animals were likely to have been attacked by dogs. Police are issuing an urgent appeal for witnesses after a veterinary report was completed on four of the seven animals killed at Barn Hill near the Cox Tor car park. It follows numerous incidents on the moor over the last two years in which approximately 60 animals have been slaughtered. There have been suggestions that the previous killings are ritualistic because of the way the bodies have been mutilated and arranged. PC Dave Pickles said this week if anyone had any knowledge of loose dogs on the moor or if they had seen anything suspicious to let the police know urgently. ?There has been a common belief in the past that these sheep killings have been ritualistic but on this occasion post-mortems were done on four sheep and the vet?s report said it was likely to have been done by a dog,? he said. ?We are continuing to keep an open mind with regard to the other incidents, but what is important is that these incidents stop.? The sheep who died on July 16/17 had their eyes removed and some of them had tongues missing. The animals belonged to two farmers who had lost sheep in previous incidents. Police do not know whether one dog or a pack of dogs was responsible for the incident. One of the farmers affected, who did not wish to be named, said he was very distressed by what had happened: ?I feel very sorry for the sheep for what has been done to them and feel bad that I was not there to stop it. ?It affects me all the time because I do not know when it is going to happen next.? He said about 30 of his sheep had been killed in six or seven incidents over the past two years. Anyone with information should contact PC Dave Pickles on 08452 777444 and quote crime reference 1035/17/07.