A water buffalo has been given his own CCTV system after being targeted by thugs.

Oink was is so attached to life in a field in Derby he refused to leave and live at an animal sanctuary.

But the one-and-a-half tonne gentle giant dreads venturing out of his shelter in a converted railway storage unit after a series of attacks.

Yobs set his hay on fire, threw bricks at him and put mustard in his feed trough.

Owner Katherine Moore said: "He used to be more happy and joyful and he would run up and down his field. But now he seems more weary.

"He puts his head out of his door first to see who's out there."

Offers of support rolled in and Oink is now being monitored by his own surveillance cameras thanks to CCTV expert David Lakin.

Mr Lakin said: "I couldn't believe it when I read that people were doing these things to him. It's such a shame, he just wants a quiet life, the poor thing.

"I had the equipment already and wasn't using it for anything so I thought I could donate it to Oink and try to help stop this sort of thing happening in the future."

Now, supporters are trying to raise support for a new fence around Oink's one-and-a-quarter-acre field.

Oink's website is www.oinkthebuffalo.co.uk.

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