Where in the world do you think you might find sheep rustlers? How about South Australia? It is true that this region has one of the greatest sheep theft problems on the planet.

The notorious Outback sheep duffers are back. According to news.com.au, a new generation of sheep and cattle thieves is making off with livestock worth many millions of dollars.

These professionals have the craft down. They are equipped with specially adapted transport including horse floats, small trucks and even emptied caravans, thefts of 30 or 40 sheep at a time are common.

In the second half of last year alone, the South Australian region saw 97 individual cases of sheep or cattle thefts involving 4771 animals worth $814.

Poddy Dodging and Cattle Duffing

You gotta love Aussie terms. Poddy dodging - the stealing of unbranded calves - and sheep and cattle duffing have been an art form in the Australian Outback since white settlement.

But in the 21st century, the high price of livestock has raised the stakes in a new range war.

In some of the largest thefts, flocks of up to 2,500 sheep worth several hundred thousand dollars have been stolen in the South Australian pastoral country in the past few years.

Technology will eventually help minimize sheep and cattle rustling. When it becomes affordable to implant each animal with a tracking device, costing about the same as branding the animals, theft will no longer be an issue.