Unsettling Incident

Last week, three lambs were taken from a farm field by activists from the campaign group Animal Rising (AR). Their aim was to rescue them. Their belief was that the lambs were destined to be sent to slaughter. The lambs were transported away in a vehicle. AR ‘said the animals were safe and with animal experts’ (Katy Lewis, BBC News, 25th May). AR’s action has attracted considerable attention from the media and others.

Clearly AR believed they had demonstrated care about the lambs, and care about lambs in general. What they also demonstrated was that they did not have much sheep knowledge.

In the ‘rescue’, while the lambs were removed from danger of likely slaughter, also they were being removed from their mother(s). AR says it did try to rescue a mother sheep but that ‘it wasn’t possible’.

The action would have caused stress to the lambs and mothers in separating them. 

It is not known whether the lambs were weaned or not - in pictures the lambs look quite large - so they may have been.

Sheep are prey animals. They feel safer in a group and, also, are social animals. Any other sheep in the field would have been stressed, not only the taken lambs and their mother(s).

The lambs were removed from familiar field and people.

There was disease spread potential through the action.

Reported are these reactions to the snatch:

‘Nicola Noble, of the National Sheep Association said

“The mothers have likely spent the last 24 hours scouring the field for their lambs, bleating endlessly with no hope of finding them.

These animals would no doubt have been terrified as they were chased and manhandled by complete strangers.

Being bundled into the back of a dark van would have been highly distressing for the sheep involved - not to mention the risk of potential disease contamination. The lambs, I imagine, would be endlessly bleating, hopelessly calling out for their mothers.” ’

‘Gareth Wyn Jones … a sheep farmer with over five decades of experience, said that the protesters were likely to have terrified the lambs. He added “These people are absolutely bonkers. Its distressing for these animals to be handled wrongly by amateur strangers. They must have chased the sheep around in order to catch them - stressing them out. And taking lambs away from their mothers is incredibly cruel.” ’

Sabrina Miller, Daily Mail, 26th May 2023.

And on the 28th May, the important movement dimension was spoken of by Fiona Parker and Sabrina Miller in The Mail on Sunday 

‘Movement of sheep across the country is strictly regulated to prevent the spread of diseases such as foot-and-mouth.’

Parker and Miller give this quote from Theresa Villiers, a former Environment Secretary

‘For good reason there are extensive rules in place to safeguard the welfare of livestock, especially when animals are transported.’

A spokesman for AR is reported by Parker and Miller as saying about the lambs on 27th May 

‘We have received confirmation from a qualified vet that all their vaccinations have either been delivered over the last couple of days or are scheduled as soon as reasonable. 

Until their full course of vaccinations is completed, they are being kept apart from other animals to remove any risk of disease transmission.’ 

So, the lambs may indeed have been saved from one likely bad outcome, but through the well-intentioned but not well-informed action of their ‘saviours’ the lambs and their family and fellows have been put to suffer.