Announcer: Today we go in search of a strange and little-understood species in the sheep world. Not just an average stand-around-in-the-pasture sort of sheep. This little creature is incredibly rare and was thought to be extinct until very recently, when it was miraculously spotted on a small farm in Nova Scotia. We join the farm's shepherdess for an interview to learn more. So, tell us, how long have you lived here?
Shepherdess: Well, just a few months really. Before that, the property was rather overgrown and not well cared for. I think its condition made it an attractive home for the jungle sheep.
Announcer: Amazing! You must be thrilled to have this creature living on your farm!
Shepherdess: Indeed I am. I hope they will be happy here!
Announcer: When did you first notice their presence?
Shepherdess: Well, I saw some unusual droppings...
Announcer: Excellent! Have you taken samples for the museums of the world?
Shepherdess: Errr...no. Not yet. Anyway, then I heard some snuffling and saw some flashes of grey or black in the woods.
Announcer: Wow! Can you please replicate the snuffling sound for our viewers?
Shepherdess: Well, um, like this... snorty-snorty-whoosh-whoosh-snort....baaaaaaaa.
Announcer: (enthralled) Imagine that! You've just heard it here folks, the long lost sound of the Nova Scotia Jungle Sheep. Tell us more about the flashes of grey and black!
Shepherdess: I took some photographs, I have them here:
Announcer: Startling! You must have been very afraid.
Shepherdess: Well, not really, they're quite small and innocent. Not at all aggressive. They are a bit shy really. I had to put up some special hidden cameras after that, to get better evidence of their presence. They were always hiding when I wanted to photograph them.
Announcer: Remarkable! Were you worried that the sheep would destroy the cameras, perhaps eating them or viciously shredding them to pieces?
Shepherdess: Definitely not, sheep are very gentle creatures.
Announcer: (with some tone of disappointment) Oh, yes I see. Soooo, did you get any pictures with the hidden cameras?
Shepherdess: Yes, I did! Here, you can see the male of the species hiding within the jungle foliage.
Here he is eating a leaf.
Announcer: Wow, just look at those powerful jaws!
Shepherdess: Errrr....yes, well, here is the female of the species. You can see her lighter fleece colour. She is considering eating some leaves from the shrub I believe.
Announcer: Incredible, she's about to totally destroy that tree! What a shot!
Shepherdess: (rolls eyes) She's only about 35 pounds, quite small really. Very gentle.
Announcer: Do they climb trees?
Shepherdess: No, they lie down under trees, to rest.
Announcer: Stupendous! You've seen them resting then! And do they fight amongst themselves?
Shepherdess: Not at all, they co-exist peacefully together, as you can see here.
(OK, so they're not REALLY the elusive jungle sheep. They are my absolutely adorable new lambs from Hidden Meadow Farm. Both are 3/4 Cotswold and 1/4 Shetland and 100% lovable! I am soooo excited to have started a new flock of sheep here in Nova Scotia, after the sadness of leaving my sheep in Iowa. The Cotswold-Shetland fleeces are oh-so-crimpy and bouncy - they will be superb yarns in future! )
14 comments:
Ooooo! My lady likes them! I told her she may NOT get any sheepses. She's jealous because she would love to go to Hidden Meadow to see their big hairy Scottish cows! She wants some! She may not have those either, says I. xoxoxoxo
They are adorable...but not as cute as goats, of course. I must stick to my own kind you know.
Congratulations on the new fiber pets!
Oh, yes! Do they play with balls? I believe that might be what destroyed the fountain here...although it is a long way to travel. Still, you never know. Then again, maybe it was Sasquatch.
Great post Claire!
Missing the little one's but I'm so pleased that they are with you.
What a wonderful life they will have!
Give them a snuggle for me :)
Oh, I have so many questions...how old are they? How big will they get? Will Lucky Nickel show them how to climb trees? I'm sure she would be happy to help them trim back that jungle a little.
I'm so happy for you that you're re-building a herd.
By the way, what are those plants with the really big leaves in the jungle???
Congrats on your new discovery . The jungle sheep pictures are to die for !
What Animal Are You?
Which animal matches your personality?
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I must agree with Pricilla that goats are truly the best, but I guess they are cute for sheep.
Bravo! How very courageous of you to venture into the jungle for sneaky shots of the mysterious new sheep!
Nancy in Iowa
Hehehe! Yu had me thare!! Hehe!
When I was young, my brother collected reptiles. Not a few - many. When we moved to and then from Illinois, along with all the furniture, his reptiles came with us. 200+ turtles (mostly box turtles), 1-10 snakes, a 4-foot caiman (related to alligators and crocodiles), an iguana, several variety of lizards like chameleons and skinks, toads, frogs,....etc. Plus, as a family, we had five rabbits and a beagle. (Poor beagle was bought to hunt rabbits, but proved ineffective after learning to live with rabbits in the family. lol)
We moved from Illinois, when Mom decided to leave Dad. She had an un-air-conditioned station wagon (it was August, so I remember the "un" very well lol) and rented a small trailer U-Haul.) It was Mom, my 15 year old brother (who had the critter collection), me (I was 14 at the time), our 3 year old brother, the dog, five rabbits and all our luggage in the station wagon. The U-haul was purely for the rest of the critters.
I tell you all that to asks the obvious question - why in the world did you leave your sheep in Iowa? Don't all people take their menagerie of pets with them when they move? Does the US-Canadian border have something against a tractor trailer or two of pet sheep becoming citizens in a new country? Too hard to get that many passports? lol
Seriously, sounds like you could have used my Mom's help. She would have figured a way to get all your animals to join you in your move.
And, if you're wondering who this crazy person is commenting on your blog - let's just say my kids know Bob T. Bear and Dilly. My "kids" are a fairly large family of stuffed animals, so, yes, you just received an odd comment from someone claiming to be the Mom of several stuffed animals. Everything I've written here is true, but now you can judge the worth of all of it with that added knowledge. I might be a little nuts, but a.) It's an enjoyable nuts, and b.) If Bob or Dilly read this comment, they are probably wondering why I think I'm nuts. lol
Another truth - I love your adventurousness in life. I hope you enjoy your new life and you have just the right amount of success in your ventures as you imagine in your mind - not so much that you don't have time to keep blogging and enjoy what you have, but just enough to keep you in the level of comfort you want. You just met someone who wouldn't mind having your life, even as upheveled as it must feel right now.
Claire -
This goes right along with the "Tree Climbing Goats" Article I read over on Yahoo!
Those 2 have got to be the CUTEST sheep I've seen in a while!
Katie in MN
Now those are some gorgeous sheepses. I love them! Names? Well ... Mangu is black in NZ Maori, Pokere is dark. Not much help, not pretty enough for your adorable pair.
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