Look: Lamb rescued after two days stranded on busy highway
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A lamb was rescued in England after being stranded for two days next to a barrier on a busy stretch of highway.
National Highways said in a news release that witnesses reported seeing a lamb stranded on the M1 highway, south of Watford Gap, but the animal proved difficult to locate.
Traffic Officer Elliot Flynn went out to search for the young sheep and eventually located it next to a median barrier. He said the lamb, dubbed Gappy by National Highways officials, was so dirty that it was camouflaged against a safety barrier.
"As I walked over the lamb came straight over to me and started cuddling up against my leg so I was able to pick her up and get her to safety. People in the stopped traffic were clapping and cheering when they saw what I was doing," Flynn said in the news release.
"The lamb was tired and hungry because she had been out there for at least two days so we took her to the nearby Watford Gap outstation and gave her some warm milk," he said.
Flynn, who grew up on a farm, said he knew the number on the lamb's tag would match the one worn by its mother, so he took the baby animal to a nearby field where a flock of sheep grazed and located the ewe with a corresponding number.
"The mum was there with another newborn and as soon as she saw her lost lamb she was licking her to get it clean and Gappy started feeding. We were so pleased to reunite her with her mum," Flynn said.
The farmer who owns the flock of sheep was notified of the situation and had Gappy examined by a veterinarian. The sheep was found to be free from injuries.
