Police are investigating an alleged animal-cruelty incident at a rural property in Tuggeranong, Canberra, after multiple sheep were reportedly rounded up and deliberately injured.

ACT Policing published details of the investigation on 19 September 2026, asking members of the public to provide information about people and vehicles that may have been connected to the incident. Police said the incident occurred on Wednesday evening, September 16, at a rural property in the Tuggeranong area.

According to police, multiple people allegedly entered the property during the evening and used dogs to round up eight sheep. The animals were then moved into a holding pen on the property. Police allege that several of the sheep were deliberately injured after being confined in the pen.

The property's owner discovered the injured sheep on Thursday morning. Police said one sheep died as a result of the injuries, while another was so severely injured that it had to be euthanised. The remaining animals were also found injured following the alleged incident.

Authorities also reported that the property itself appeared to have been ransacked. Police described a large amount of disruption across the premises and are investigating the circumstances surrounding both the alleged animal cruelty and the activity at the property.

ACT Policing is now appealing to residents and motorists who may have been in the area on the night of September 16. Investigators are particularly interested in information about unusual activity on the eastern side of the Monaro Highway, between the paintball facility and the Johnson Drive roundabout.

Police are also seeking information about vehicles that may have travelled along Old Tuggeranong Road, particularly the section on the eastern side of the Monaro Highway near the pine forest. Investigators have identified a late-1990s or early-2000s sedan as a vehicle of interest in their inquiries.

Members of the public who saw people, vehicles or other unusual activity around the property or nearby roads during the relevant period are being encouraged to contact ACT Policing. Police are asking witnesses to provide as much information as possible, including descriptions of vehicles, people and the direction in which vehicles were travelling.

The investigation is being treated as an animal-cruelty matter. Police have emphasised that reports involving deliberate harm to animals are taken seriously and are seeking assistance from the community to identify those responsible.

The incident has also raised concerns for the property owner and the wider rural community around Tuggeranong, where livestock properties operate alongside roads and residential areas. Investigators are continuing to establish exactly what happened during the alleged entry onto the property and who was involved.

Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the incident at the time of the latest report. The investigation remains ongoing, and information provided by members of the public could help investigators establish the movements of people and vehicles in the area.