Sheep kills elderly couple in New Zealand

An elderly man and woman were killed Thursday when they were attacked by a ram at their property in New Zealand, officials say. A third person was injured.

The incident happened just before 7:30 a.m. when a man and a woman – both in their early 80s – were found dead inside a paddock in Waitākere, a small town west of Auckland.

“Another party at the scene suffered a minor injury after being attacked by this ram,” New Zealand Police said in a statement.

When officers arrived at the scene, they too were confronted and approached by the ram, after which it was decided to shoot the animal. The ram died at the scene.

Other details about the incident were not immediately known.

Rams typically inflict blunt force injuries when they strike humans, but fatalities are extremely rare. In 2018, a 73-year-old man was killed by a ram in Greece.