Fleecehaven News
‘ P R O M O T I N G H U M A N B E H A V I O U R T O W A R D S A N I M A L S B Y P R O V I D I N G C A R E , P R O T E C T I O N , T R E A T M E N T A N D S E C U R I T Y ’
Spring 2013
The Animals Came in Two by Two (or Four + Three + One + Four) Fleecehaven really is full to the brim. We have sheep tucked up in every possible nook and cranny, yet still we manage to squeeze the odd one or two in!! The Spring months have been no exception with twelve new arrivals!! The ‘Awesome Foursome’ were the first to join us. They were brought to us by their owner, Chiara, on the 31st March. For many years Chiara had rented land from a farmer near Torrington, North Devon, on which she kept horses and a few sheep. Unfortunately the farmer suddenly decided that he no longer wanted the sheep kept on the land and gave Chiara just a few days notice to rehome them, otherwise he threatened to ‘sort them out’. A number of months prior to this happening, Chiara had a chance meeting with Anne and Emma during which a conversation about sheep and Fleecehaven ensued. With this in mind, Chiara contacted Fleecehaven and arrangements were made for ‘The Awesome Foursome’ to make the short journey from Torrington to East Buckland. As they were so tame, there was no need to drive their trailer down to the red barn and the four The Awesome Foursome walking down to the red barn
Volume 6 Issue 4
made the final leg of their journey on foot. Sampson is the patriarch of the group. He is a two year old texel who was saved from near death at birth. Someone that Chiara knew was helping with lambing on a farm and noticed that a lamb, discarded for dead, was still breathing. She took the lamb home, where she hand reared him for a number of weeks before passing him on to Chiara. Sampson is joined by three year old Delilah and her year old lamb, Dougal, both are Suffolk sheep and absolutely beautiful. The group is completed by Raggy Sock who is also a year old. Chiara had previously rescued his Mother, but she sadly died during the winter. As a result of this Raggy Sock suffered from wool slip, often the result of stress, and when he first joined us he was wearing a dog coat to keep him warm! The ’Awesome Foursome’ initially moved into the red barn, where they were kept separate from the main flock until they were fully vaccinated. They also had our lower fields to themselves and enjoyed pottering around and exploring their new home. After five weeks we were able to start introducing them to the rest of the flock and within just a few days they were fully integrated. All four of them are now well and truly settled into life at Fleecehaven. They are all absolutely delightful and a real credit to Chiara and her family. (Continued on Page 2)
Inside this Issue: The Animals Came In 2 x 2 Spring Gallery Sad Goodbyes A Sad Tale of Neglect Thank Ewe News Bleat Fundraising Events Spring Visitors
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Sampson, Delilah, Dougal and Raggy Sock checking out the grazing in their new home