As usual, I took the dog for a late night walk along the canal. I've just got back in.
Tonight, as we wernt along, a group of sheep on the other side of the canal were startled by our approach, and fled. All except one. I got the torch out and saw a ewe in the mud at the edge of the canal, sunk in up to her belly. Her struggles showed she was pretty much stuck fast. Given that the mud and water must be very close to freezing by now, I didn't much fancy her chances if she stayed like that all night. Luckily, there was a canal bridge just a few dozen yards away, so I crossed over, leaving the dog behind (he couldn't get over the stile to the bridge and wouldn't think of swimming across - he hates water). There was a handy stile into the field, and a footpath, so I wasn't even trespassing.
I walked up to the ewe, who was still stuck, got two good handfuls of fleece, and pulled, and out she came. She was so cold and tired that she could do little more than walk slowly away from me, but I watched as she made her way across the field to the rest of the flock. I'm fairly sure she'll be okay, but I'll check tomorrow and call in on the farmer to let him know one of his animals had a rough night, especially since it was probably a pregnant ewe. The stress might have an adverse effect on the lamb(s).
So much for being a samaritan.
Even at the time though, it occurred to me that if I'd been a passing hunter-gatherer, a nice juicy sheep or similar prey animal stuck in the mud at the end of winter would be an absolute bonanza of a find. Meat, easily available, no fuss, no effort. In my pockets tonight I had enough stuff (small penknife, laplander saw, bone awl) that I could have dispatched the animal without too much trouble, or fashioned a pointed stick to do the job instead. Sometimes hunting/foraging is about luck as well as skill.
Possibly even finds like tonight may have been a step on the road to domestication. Find an exhausted animal, and it would be fairly easy to get a rope on it and take it to where you could get it into an enclosure.
Anyway, it was a nice experience for me (less so for the sheep), and it got me thinking.
Now, where did I put that beer...?
Tonight, as we wernt along, a group of sheep on the other side of the canal were startled by our approach, and fled. All except one. I got the torch out and saw a ewe in the mud at the edge of the canal, sunk in up to her belly. Her struggles showed she was pretty much stuck fast. Given that the mud and water must be very close to freezing by now, I didn't much fancy her chances if she stayed like that all night. Luckily, there was a canal bridge just a few dozen yards away, so I crossed over, leaving the dog behind (he couldn't get over the stile to the bridge and wouldn't think of swimming across - he hates water). There was a handy stile into the field, and a footpath, so I wasn't even trespassing.
I walked up to the ewe, who was still stuck, got two good handfuls of fleece, and pulled, and out she came. She was so cold and tired that she could do little more than walk slowly away from me, but I watched as she made her way across the field to the rest of the flock. I'm fairly sure she'll be okay, but I'll check tomorrow and call in on the farmer to let him know one of his animals had a rough night, especially since it was probably a pregnant ewe. The stress might have an adverse effect on the lamb(s).
So much for being a samaritan.
Even at the time though, it occurred to me that if I'd been a passing hunter-gatherer, a nice juicy sheep or similar prey animal stuck in the mud at the end of winter would be an absolute bonanza of a find. Meat, easily available, no fuss, no effort. In my pockets tonight I had enough stuff (small penknife, laplander saw, bone awl) that I could have dispatched the animal without too much trouble, or fashioned a pointed stick to do the job instead. Sometimes hunting/foraging is about luck as well as skill.
Possibly even finds like tonight may have been a step on the road to domestication. Find an exhausted animal, and it would be fairly easy to get a rope on it and take it to where you could get it into an enclosure.
Anyway, it was a nice experience for me (less so for the sheep), and it got me thinking.
Now, where did I put that beer...?
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