Vegan activist nearly killed lamb with botched bid to hand rear it

A VEGAN activist who took a lamb from a farm, put it in a nappy and nearly killed it with her attempts to rear it has admitted animal cruelty.

- By Corey Ross

Louise Murguia thought it was hurt and she could take better care of it. She took it home, shampooed off the ID number and fed it cow's milk.

Murguia, 49, kept it at home for three weeks before police found the malnourished lamb, which needed more than a week of treatment to stay alive.

A court heard a ewe owned by farmer Stuart Ludwell of Sturminster Newton, Dorset, had died one night, leaving two lambs.

As it was dark he decided to wait until the next morning to retrieve them from the field so as not to distress other sheep.

But he found only one and assumed a fox took its twin.