Watch: Loose sheep evade capture next to Ontario highway
July 10 (UPI) -- Two sheep have been on the loose on Ontario for multiple weeks, but a nearby highway is complicating rescue efforts.
Lauren Edwards, owner of Charlotte's Freedom Farm in Dresden, said she was alerted to the presence of a sheep at the side of the E.C. Row Expressway on July 6, and she soon learned sightings of the animal had been taking place for at least two weeks.
Edwards led a team of about 10 volunteers in a rescue attempt Saturday, but despite pursuing the animal for more than an hour, they were unable to catch it.
She returned the following day, this time with 40 volunteers, but they were again unable to secure the sheep. They did, however, make one important discovery -- there were actually two sheep.
"A volunteer on one side of the fence said, 'Hey, we just saw the sheep.' But then another group [on the other side] said, 'He just ran by here' ... They're fast but they're not that fast. We quickly realized we were chasing two sheep," Edwards told CTV News.
Edwards said the size and location of the sheep implies they may have escaped from a trailer on the way to a slaughterhouse. She said they will be given new homes at her sanctuary if they can be caught.
She said the rescue efforts are complicated by the abundant food sources in the area, as well as the busy highway.
"Sheepdogs are very well trained but I think they're very focused on the sheep when they're trying to herd them. So I wouldn't want a dog to be so focused on the sheep when they run across the road. It's a little scary," Edwards said.
