Dozens of sheep discovered dead

A farmer rounding up sheep in the Mývatn region of the North-East Iceland this weekend made a macabre discovery when he found the bones of dozens of sheep that had starved to death.

The grisly find was located in what locals colloquially refer to as a ‘hunger hole’, a natural ditch or crevice in the landscape which sheep descend into to shelter from the weather or other dangers and are then unable to escape from.

The inevitable consequence is death by starvation.

The farmer, Gunnar Rúnar Pétursson, has seen many such places in the lava fields he covers in his time.

“These places are horrible,” he explains. “Really disgusting.”

“In the old days, when people discovered such holes, they would fill them up with rocks so that any sheep going in could get out. But this one is so deep that something else will have to be done. Maybe blow it up with explosives.”