Sheeps that pass in the night
Mystery surrounds runaway flock Brian saw from his bedroom window
They say that counting sheep helps you to sleep – but for one St Leonards man it kept him awake most of the night!
Brian Doig thought he was having a baaa-d dream when he spotted a flock of sheep grazing on Staffa hill in the wee small hours.
Worried the runaway farm animals may be lost or in danger of getting hurt, Brian reported the unusual sighting to police – even though they might have thought he was trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
However, after Brian finally hit the hay, he woke to find the flock still grazing the following morning.
And, according to the Scottish SPCA Lanarkshire, it appears Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep with the owner’s whereabouts unknown.
Brian, who is the coordinator for East Kilbride Dementia Carers Group, told the News: “After midnight I glanced out the window and thought I was hallucinating when I saw a flock of over 20 sheep happily grazing away on Staffa hill.
“I reported it to the police in case some poor farmer was frantically looking for his flock – but the sheep themselves were carefree and happy.
“A few times during the night I checked on my visitors for fear a fox might have decided to attack but the sheep didn’t even bat an eyelid when they saw me watching them.
“They were still on Staffa hill when I was getting ready for work in the morning. I heard from a neighbour that they had been found in Tiree just last week.”
The sheep have now moved on to pastures n-ewe – but mystery surrounds where they are or where they came from. However, Brian quipped: “Could this be a cunning South Lanarkshire Council plan to save on the expense of grass cutting?”
Scottish SPCA Lanarkshire chief inspector John Chisholm said: “We can confirm that we received a call regarding sheep in the East Kilbride area. The sheep are in good bodily condition and enquiries are currently ongoing to establish the whereabouts of the owner.”
An East Kilbride police spokesman said: “We received two or three reports that approximately 20 sheep were sitting on the hill at Staffa, East Kilbride, at around 11pm on Monday, February 19.
“Police attended but there was no requirement for any action to be taken.”
●Do you know anything about the sheep? Give the newsdesk a call on (01698) 205168 or email news@ eastkilbridenews.co.uk
I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the sheep happily grazing away on the hill...
Brian Doig