Fortean Sheep & Strangeness Involving Sheep

[Mattattattatt]

Weirdest thing I ever saw was about 12 sheep on the hill opposite my window stood in a perfect circle, facing each other... wierd...

 

[Spookdaddy]

Anyone brought up in rural surroundings will tell you how animals will behave bizarrely before and during a storm - I have a vivid memory from when I was very young of looking out onto our fields to see hundreds of sheep standing totally still, as if frozen, all facing in exactly the same direction as a thunderstorm passed over them.

 

[rynner2]

Forget crop circles - now we've got a mysterious SHEEP circle
Last updated at 15:02pm on 25th January 2008

There were strange goings on at the farm today when a flock of sheep made their own version of a crop circle.

About 100 of the woolly creatures formed an orderly ring - baffling the farmer and passers-by.

But after hearing the roar of the boss's tractor the animals scattered like a group of naughty schoolboys.

Photographer Russell Bird, who captured the amazing scene, said:"I was quite taken aback. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said.

"I did see a dog worrying sheep nearby beforehand and the dog ran off round the hedge in a different field, so I don't know if they were discussing that."

Bizarrely, he then spotted another circle three fields away, but was unable to take a picture with both "formations" lasting around 10 minutes before dispersing.

Estate agent Mr Bird added of the scene in Kington, Herefordshire: "They moved around inside and were almost filling the gaps in.

"The only reason this circle came to an end was that the farmer came in with a tractor and some food."

Since the event he has been searching for an explanation but those experienced in working with sheep say Mr Bird could be disappointed.

Farm manager at Herefordshire College of Technology, Dan Seaborne, said: "I just think they've been fed with dry feed in that shape - you can get snacker feeders now and you tow behind a quad and it drops pellets on the ground.

"I would imagine that's what's happened."

He added: "I think there was a chap in Yorkshire who spelled out 'will you marry me' to his girlfriend in sheep by putting feed down."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

 

[Mal_Adjusted]

A RECORD 227 paranormal events have shaken Britain in the past 12 months, a study reveals today. ...

BLANDFORD FORUM: A flock of spectral sheep is often seen or heard at Sheep Market Hill and horses are heard, but not seen, pulling a carriage at Ashley Wood golf club. There were reports of both happenings in May. ...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/fe ... -year.html

 

[lordmongrove]

Sheep on drugs

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ca ... irror_main

Sheep scoff cannabis

 

[Moooksta]

Re: Sheep on drugs

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cannabis-munching-sheep-left-high-kite-4455124?ICID=FB_mirror_main

Sheep scoff cannabis

Giving new meaning to a joint of lamb.

 

[ramonmercado]

I remember a students demo back in 2010 when someone threw a leg of lamb at the cops. There were no reports of aforesaid leg being stolen from nearby shops or restaurants so the black sheep must have bought it or brought it with him/her.

 

[ramonmercado]

A Unicorn Sheep!

Iceland's 'unicorn' goes under the hammer

Image copyrightERLA POREY OLAFSDOTTIR
Image captionEinhyrningur's unique appearance may yet save him from the abbattoir
There's good news for a single-horned ram found in Iceland earlier this year, after it emerged that he's been saved from the slaughterhouse.

Einhyrningur, which incidentally is Icelandic for 'unicorn', was found among Erla Porey Olafsdottir's flock with his horns fused into one, and become an internet sensation around the world.

As the Iceland Monitor reported at the time, Einhyrningur was destined for the slaughterhouse. Reykjavik Zoo offered to take him, but Iceland's strict animal movement rules meant he couldn't go there, and his sale options were limited.

However, the animal's future seems a little brighter now with the news that he's to be auctioned for local charities next month, Frettir news website reports.

Owner Erla says she's kept Einhyrningur out of the limelight since his brush with fame in April. ...

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-41566531?ocid=socialflow_twitter

 

[ramonmercado]

Maybe not quite Fortean but no fun for the driver and even less for the sheep. I wonder if the driver got to keep the sheep caracasse?

Bighorn sheep jumps off hill, lands on car in Washington

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) — A driver in Washington state escaped injury when a bighorn sheep jumped from a hillside and landed on his car.

The Washington State Patrol says the driver was near the town of Chelan in central Washington on Tuesday when he saw a herd of bighorn sheep on the hillside above the roadway.

One of the animals, a ewe, jumped and smashed the car’s windshield.

The driver was not hurt and managed to pull his car over.

The sheep died.

https://apnews.com/c8ca6ddd94844782...low&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Oddities

 

[ramonmercado]

Do sheep-shaggers choose the sheep or do the sheep choose them?

Sheep can be trained to recognise human faces from photographic portraits - and can even identify the picture of their handler without prior training - according to new research from scientists at the University of Cambridge.

The study, published today in the journal Royal Society: Open Science, is part a series of tests given to the sheep to monitor their cognitive abilities. Because of the relatively large size of their brains and their longevity, sheep are a good animal model for studying neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease.

The ability to recognise faces is one of the most important human social skills. We recognise familiar faces easily, and can identify unfamiliar faces from repeatedly presented images. As with some other animals such as dogs and monkeys, sheep are social animals that can recognise other sheep as well as familiar humans. Little is known, however, about their overall ability to process faces.

Researchers from Cambridge's Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience trained eight sheep to recognise the faces of four celebrities from photographic portraits displayed on computer screens.

Training involved the sheep making decisions as they moved around a specially-designed pen. At one end of the pen, they would see two photographs displayed on two computer screens and would receive a reward of food for choosing the photograph of the celebrity (by breaking an infrared beam near the screen); if they chose the wrong photograph, a buzzer would sound and they would receive no reward. Over time, they learn to associate a reward with the celebrity's photograph.

After training, the sheep were shown two photograph - the celebrity's face and another face. In this test, sheep correctly chose the learned celebrity face eight times out of ten. ...

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-sheep-human.html

 

[escargot]

Do sheep-shaggers choose the sheep or do the sheep choose them?

Sheep can be trained to recognise human faces from photographic portraits - and can even identify the picture of their handler without prior training - according to new research from scientists at the University of Cambridge.

The study, published today in the journal Royal Society: Open Science, is part a series of tests given to the sheep to monitor their cognitive abilities. Because of the relatively large size of their brains and their longevity, sheep are a good animal model for studying neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease.

The ability to recognise faces is one of the most important human social skills. We recognise familiar faces easily, and can identify unfamiliar faces from repeatedly presented images. As with some other animals such as dogs and monkeys, sheep are social animals that can recognise other sheep as well as familiar humans. Little is known, however, about their overall ability to process faces.

Researchers from Cambridge's Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience trained eight sheep to recognise the faces of four celebrities from photographic portraits displayed on computer screens.

Training involved the sheep making decisions as they moved around a specially-designed pen. At one end of the pen, they would see two photographs displayed on two computer screens and would receive a reward of food for choosing the photograph of the celebrity (by breaking an infrared beam near the screen); if they chose the wrong photograph, a buzzer would sound and they would receive no reward. Over time, they learn to associate a reward with the celebrity's photograph.

After training, the sheep were shown two photograph - the celebrity's face and another face. In this test, sheep correctly chose the learned celebrity face eight times out of ten. ...

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-sheep-human.html

The sheep're choosing the image though, not the person. I mean, they wouldn't recognise the celebrity's face in a different photo, say if the celebrity looked unmade-up or hungover or unshaven or had different hair or facial hair.
Hell, I have trouble without the old giglamps.

 

[Andy X]

Hasn't this been known for some time?

I read several years ago that sheep can remember quite a number of human faces for about a couple of years - as observed by shepherds, vets and perhaps those harbouring more 'romantic' intentions.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Over time, they learn to associate a reward with the celebrity's photograph.

 

[Swifty]

This link's 8 years old now but as it involves strapping LED lights to sheep and using sheep dogs as 'bats' to recreate the classic computer game pong, it could just about sneak into this thread maybe? .. and they do the Mona Lisa ..

 

[Yithian]

Approximately 8% of mature rams are exclusively homosexual.

More on conversion therapy for sheep here:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/01/...facts/amp/?amp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQGCAEYASAB

 

[Yithian]

This story can't fail to give you a mental image: in order to defeat an 8ft cattle grid (bars over whuch hooves cannot walk), sheep in Yorkshire taught themselves how to roll.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3938591.stm

 

[Mythopoeika]

Sheep can jump right over a very high fence, with not much of a run-up.
My Dad saw it happen once, when he was growing up in Wales.

 

[Fluttermoth]

Jacob's are the worst; they ping up and down like they're on springs.

 

[GNC]

Weird sideline in the latest FT: sheep in Southern Norway are disappearing, and because there are no physical effects seen, no broken fences or blood, it's been theorised that drones are picking them up and spiriting them away because fish hooks have been found in some of the wool of those that remain. Any more on this, anyone?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Weird sideline in the latest FT: sheep in Southern Norway are disappearing, and because there are no physical effects seen, no broken fences or blood, it's been theorised that drones are picking them up and spiriting them away because fish hooks have been found in some of the wool of those that remain. Any more on this, anyone?

There aren't many VTOL drones around that could do that. Most drones are just too small. The few big ones are pretty experimental.

 

[ramonmercado]

There aren't many VTOL drones around that could do that. Most drones are just too small. The few big ones are pretty experimental.

Just farmers looking for compensation. They secretly sell the sheep.

 

[GNC]

There aren't many VTOL drones around that could do that. Most drones are just too small. The few big ones are pretty experimental.

Maybe someone's making evil use of a cherry picker crane? Doesn't explain the fish hooks, mind you. Bored anglers testing their mettle?

 

[EnolaGaia]

Weird sideline in the latest FT: sheep in Southern Norway are disappearing, and because there are no physical effects seen, no broken fences or blood, it's been theorised that drones are picking them up and spiriting them away because fish hooks have been found in some of the wool of those that remain. Any more on this, anyone?

I can only find two articles in English - one at Mysterious Universe and a copy of the same article re-published in the Philippines:

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/09/mysterious-sheep-disappearances-plague-norwegian-shepherds/
http://www.journal.com.ph/editorial...eep-disappearances-plague-norwegian-shepherds

Both versions of this single story / text are dated September 2017.

This text cites a Norwegian news item dated August 31, 2017:

https://www.nrk.no/sorlandet/frykter-tyver-_fisker_-sau-_-bondene-fortviler-1.13667392

This Norwegian story mentions finding fish hooks. It also mentions shots being heard and sheep being found with their legs bound, as if for transport.

It doesn't mention anything about drones, so I'm guessing the drones angle was suggestively added by Mysterious Universe.

 

[GNC]

Excellent detective work as ever, Enola. So we can forget about the drones - it sounds like more ordinary sheep rustling, though the fish hooks angle remains strange. What's the benefit there?

 

[EnolaGaia]

Excellent detective work as ever, Enola. So we can forget about the drones - it sounds like more ordinary sheep rustling, though the fish hooks angle remains strange. What's the benefit there?

My first guess would be casting fish hooks to grapple a sheep and pull it to the fence, where it can be grabbed and lifted over - hence the lack of fence breaches / damage the farmers report.

Zounds! What have we here?!? ... :sherlock:

In looking for a funny image to illustrate my theory, I ran across this 2013 Norwegian news item that demonstrates I'm not the only one to suspect this ...

Sheep 'fishing' worries farmers
Brutal sheep thieves are believed to be trying to catch animals in western Norway with fishing hooks, in a practice that has been dubbed ‘sheep fishing' and which is causing concern in farming communities.

The problem came to light after a number of sheep in Skånevikfjord, between Stavanger and Bergen, were found with hooks in their fleece, newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported. A dead lamb was also found without its thighs. Farmer Olaf Sævareid said he didn’t know how many sheep had gone out of his flock of several hundred, but that his neighbour was also missing 7 or 8 ewes.

“I noticed the same thing last year, that they disappeared without trace. They came home from the mountain, then disappeared,” the farmer said.

Police say they believe the sheep are being stolen to be slaughtered.

SOURCE: https://www.thelocal.no/20131230/sheep-fishing-worries-farmers

 

[GNC]

Sheep fishing is a thing, then?! I thought I was joking! Real life outdoes humour once again...

 

[Ghost In The Machine]

Predictably, can't find it to quote it now, but I found an account in the early 19thC newspapers, of a man sentenced to death - for stealing not a whole sheep but just its leg. He was so hungry, he just cut off one leg of a live sheep, to eat. I have tried running all kinds of weird searches just now but can no longer find it, but it's somewhere in the database!

 

[Swifty]

Predictably, can't find it to quote it now, but I found an account in the early 19thC newspapers, of a man sentenced to death - for stealing not a whole sheep but just its leg. He was so hungry, he just cut off one leg of a live sheep, to eat. I have tried running all kinds of weird searches just now but can no longer find it, but it's somewhere in the database!

I heard a joke similar to that, it ended with the city man finally asking the farmer "I just have to ask, why has has your amazing trick performing sheep only got three legs?" ... "Well if you had a sheep as good as this un, would you eat it all at once?".. (sorry, you've just reminded me)

 

[escargot]

Predictably, can't find it to quote it now, but I found an account in the early 19thC newspapers, of a man sentenced to death - for stealing not a whole sheep but just its leg. He was so hungry, he just cut off one leg of a live sheep, to eat. I have tried running all kinds of weird searches just now but can no longer find it, but it's somewhere in the database!

Isn't that supposed to be the reason for certain ancient religious rules covering animal slaughter, that animals used to be cruelly 'harvested' a limb at a time? I was taught that at school.

 

[ramonmercado]

I heard a joke similar to that, it ended with the city man finally asking the farmer "I just have to ask, why has has your amazing trick performing sheep only got three legs?" ... "Well if you had a sheep as good as this un, would you eat it all at once?".. (sorry, you've just reminded me)

Thats' no joke, its exactly what a farmer would do.