Reports of sheep sightings started coming into police early this week. There have been four calls so far, Washington police said.
By: Lauren Burgoon
WASHINGTON There’s a sheep on the lam in Washington.
Several people have been surprised to come across a large, white sheep freely walking around in fields near Windsor Road this week.
As best as anyone can figure, the sheep is a survivor and escapee of a Nov. 8 truck accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. That night a truck hauling several dozen live sheep was struck from behind by a truck carrying frozen chickens. Twenty-eight of the 45 sheep died at the scene and several survivors fled into the woods, where state police were unable to corral all of them.
Reports of sheep sightings started coming into police early this week. There have been four calls so far, police said.
One of the latest sightings was on Monday morning by Sharon School kindergarten teacher Peggy Damm. What she thought was a large bag of trash turned out to be the sheep standing near the Robbins House on Windsor Road. Ms. Damm called the police, who laughed knowingly as they learned what she was reporting.
The department has gotten several similar calls this week, police said, but so far no one has been able to catch the animal. Animal control and police officers have been out several times this week to look for the sheep, which police said has been staying on the eastern side of town near the turnpike. Officers believe the sheep people have been spotting is the same one rather than several loose animals from the accident.
The sheep does not appear to be in danger of freezing. According to Peter Orwick of the American Sheep Industry Association, sheep have been known to survive in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. He added that starvation is not an issue either as sheep can graze almost anywhere.