Mountain rescuers save ewe stranded on cliff edge with the help of a sheep sack
Mountain rescuers saved a ewe stranded on a cliff edge by carefully lowering her to safety in a sheep rescue sack.
The ewe had become trapped on a ledge above Stanage Plantation, a beauty spot in the Peak District, Derbyshire.
The Edale Mountain Rescue team were called to retrieve her and on arrival tried to lasso the creature.
When this tactic failed, the team lowered themselves down the rockface using ropes, and placed the animal in the rescue sack.
The sack was then lowered to the ground below, where the sheep’s farmer was waiting. He checked she was unhurt and released her back into her field to graze
The rescue happened about 4.21pm on Thursday. An Edale Mountain Rescue spokesperson wrote on social media afterwards: ‘We were called to assist a cragfast ewe on a ledge above Stanage Plantation.
‘Team members set up a rope system back from the edge in order to access the ledge above the sheep.
‘We left the lasso-the-sheep challenge to our newly qualified MCI mountaineering instructor but he failed so we reverted to the trusted technique of distracting it (with both a stick and a sheep dog) from below whilst two team members lowered down to it and wrestled it in to the sheep rescue sack.
‘It was then quickly lowered to the floor uninjured where the farmer and his son checked it over and released it off back to graze.
‘Thanks to Nick (farmer) and Will (his son) and also to the super helpful climbing community who spotted the sheep with their bouldering mats in case it turned in to a woolly jumper.’
There was no time to rest, however, as not long after the ewe rescue the team were told of a young sheep further down the crag that had a broken limb.
So off they went and used the rescue sack to save that sheep as well.
An Edale Mountain Rescue spokesperson added: ‘Our best wishes to all of our casualties today. We hope ewe all get well soon.’
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