The Western Mail
BRIDGEND, Wales — They’re apparently not an unusual sight walking up and down the narrow terraced street — but it’s a bit rarer to find them up on the roof.
But that’s exactly where this inquisitive sheep ended up as he turned what should have been a peaceful afternoon into a bizarre rescue operation.
Claire Walters, 38, a senior care assistant from Pontycymer, near Bridgend, was watching television at her home in Nant-Yr-Ychain Terrace when she heard bleating coming from the street.
Everything seemed normal at first — then she looked up.
Ms Walters said: “There are always lots of sheep walking up and down the street, but when I went outside I couldn’t see anything.
“I looked up and there was a sheep on the roof.”
But this isn’t the first time she has found a sheep on her roof.
She said: “This has happened before, years ago. There was a sheep on the roof that was being chased by a dog. It ran across the roof, before coming down in a gap between the houses. Its nose was bleeding, but it just got up and walked off.”
She thinks the sheep got through a neighbour’s garden at the back of the houses before climbing up on to a bathroom extension and on to the roof.
“The sheep couldn’t see where its mother had gone, and it was making a lot of noise. You could tell it was very distressed,” she said.
Two fire engines were called from Bridgend to get the sheep down. It took the crew around 40 minutes, using specialist equipment and a “large animal rescue appliance”.
Ms Walters said: “One of the firemen told me they didn’t want to put the sheep in a harness as they were worried that it would jump and pull the men off the roof with it.”
One of the rescuers said: “We have never had anything like that before, though we have found sheep in some difficult places. It was running back and forward on the roof, but eventually it must have realised how many firefighters were there trying to get it down and thought ‘I’d better come down now, I think’.
“The sheep was absolutely fine and not harmed at all, and it was certainly an interesting call out. It’s not where you’d expect to find a sheep, it was really quite funny. It brightened up our weekend, that’s for sure.”
Copyright 2011 Western Mail and Echo Ltd
All Rights Reserved