Cunning sheep
Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 4:03 amBritish farm animals are getting smart, first car destroying cows, now escapologist sheep... whatever next?
It's a hungry life on the Yorkshire moors once the summer sun has wilted the scant grass, so local sheep have perfected their version of the commando roll.
Determined to get at lush greenery in the valley gardens of Marsden, a former textile town on the edge of the Pennine uplands, flocks have developed a new way of getting over road grids installed to stop them.
"I've seen them doing it and they're clever," said an independent district councillor, Dorothy Lindley. "They lie down on their side, or sometimes their back, and roll over the metal grids until they are clear."
Pastured on the moors by "registered commoners" who can claim rights of open grazing going back to medieval times, the sheep have also perfected the skill of hurdling five foot fences and squeezing through gaps as narrow as eight inches wide.
They have destroyed several gardens and made forays to the local bowling club and graveyard, which often has the dietary bonus of memorial flowers.
"It's a serious problem because they make a mess of people's gardens," said Ms Lindley, who has tried a range of deterrents, including chasing sheep and barking at them like a dog.
Ten years ago, one irate gardener rounded up seven sheep and held them to ransom after consulting the section of the Animals Act dealing with strays. The grids were installed after that, with three metres of bars and gaps to deter the sheep.
They worked for a while, but then a few sheep learned how to get across - and others, acting "like sheep," followed their example.
"What we really need is more fencing to stop them, but they would probably find another way out before long," said Ms Lindley.
It's a hungry life on the Yorkshire moors once the summer sun has wilted the scant grass, so local sheep have perfected their version of the commando roll.
Determined to get at lush greenery in the valley gardens of Marsden, a former textile town on the edge of the Pennine uplands, flocks have developed a new way of getting over road grids installed to stop them.
"I've seen them doing it and they're clever," said an independent district councillor, Dorothy Lindley. "They lie down on their side, or sometimes their back, and roll over the metal grids until they are clear."
Pastured on the moors by "registered commoners" who can claim rights of open grazing going back to medieval times, the sheep have also perfected the skill of hurdling five foot fences and squeezing through gaps as narrow as eight inches wide.
They have destroyed several gardens and made forays to the local bowling club and graveyard, which often has the dietary bonus of memorial flowers.
"It's a serious problem because they make a mess of people's gardens," said Ms Lindley, who has tried a range of deterrents, including chasing sheep and barking at them like a dog.
Ten years ago, one irate gardener rounded up seven sheep and held them to ransom after consulting the section of the Animals Act dealing with strays. The grids were installed after that, with three metres of bars and gaps to deter the sheep.
They worked for a while, but then a few sheep learned how to get across - and others, acting "like sheep," followed their example.
"What we really need is more fencing to stop them, but they would probably find another way out before long," said Ms Lindley.
