People connected with a special education school and farm have been left “heartbroken” after several animals were stolen from their site in Liss.

The overnight thefts on Monday from the Elysian Liss site have had a “devastating impact” on staff and youngsters according to a spokesperson.

A dozen chickens and a tortoise called Lightening were stolen along with a mother Pygmy goat called Thumper and her two kids.

Thumper is tagged with the number 245531 806 while Lightening has a chip numbered 9410 000 16047 625.

The incident is being treated as a deliberate act of theft with Hampshire Police investigating and a forensics officer visiting the site on Tuesday.

Staff have beefed up security and installed additional CCTV following the thefts but the loss of the animals has hit hard, especially as many of its youngsters are on therapeutic placements.

A spokesperson said: “The devastating impact this has had on staff and our young people is heartbreaking.

“If anyone saw any unusual activity around our main entrance last night please do let the police know.

“The people that did this have no understanding about the impact this has had on the therapeutic work we do at Elysian with our young people and the long-term effects this could have on everyone.”

Anyone with information should call Hampshire Police on 101 or contact Elysian through 07944 875155, [email protected] or message them on Facebook.