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The search continues for two sheep spotted roaming along the E.C. Row Expressway in Windsor for more than a month, despite ongoing attempts to capture them.
Lauren Edwards, founder of Charlotte’s Freedom Farm in Dresden, was alerted about the sheep weeks after a vehicle’s dash cam video — showing a sheep running along the city’s east-west expressway — was posted to social media on June 17.
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It’s not clear how the sheep got there or who owns them, but Edwards said she believes they must have escaped from a transport vehicle headed for a slaughterhouse.
“We heard about the sheep on July 6 and went out thinking we could catch them,” said Edwards, who at that time was looking for one animal in the area near École Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse west of Dougall Avenue.
“We spent several hours that day but there was no hope — we just couldn’t catch it,” she told the Star.
A second attempt to capture the sheep was made the next day with a larger group of volunteers. It was also at that point they realized their task had become twice as challenging — a second sheep was spotted in the area.
Edwards said the sheep had moved off the expressway to a safer location, but the size of the area where they were roaming made it harder to catch the animals.
“It was chaos,” said Ryan Shields, a local volunteer who assisted in attempting to catch the sheep. “Everybody was running around trying to catch the sheep.
“We didn’t try to push the sheep to a certain area, we just tried to chase after them.”
The sheep are estimated to be about six months old and around 40 to 50 pounds (18 to 23 kg) each, according to Edwards.
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“Most animals that you’re trying to trap are starving after a few days because they’re looking for food,” Edwards told the Star. “However, sheep survive on grass, leaves and weeds.
“They have an unlimited buffet of food out there right now.”
A fenced pen with water, a salt lick, and some grain has been set up along the expressway near the Dominion Boulevard off-ramp on the city’s west side. Edwards has also set up a trail camera to track the sheep.
“The sheep were going in and eating the grain for several days but now they have stopped,” said Edwards. “Something must have spooked the sheep while they were inside the pen.
“Our hope was once the sheep started going inside the pen, we could hide with a rope and just pull the door shut. We sat out there for hours trying to trap the sheep inside the pen.”
In the past week, area residents have regularly posted to social media saying they’ve spotted the animals around the school and nearby streets. One recent sighting was July 18 at Grace and Truth Chapel on Rockwell Boulevard.
“They’re just running scared around the church and school,” Edwards said. “The main problem is that people need to try and stay away and stop chasing them.
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“Everything is very predatory to the sheep. They’re terrified animals.”
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Edwards has secured additional fencing to make a larger pen as well as a door that closes automatically. She said the goal moving forward is to get the sheep eating in an area where they can feel safe again.
“There isn’t an easy answer here,” said Edwards. “It’s been the hardest and most frustrating rescue I have ever been involved with, but we won’t stop trying.”
If the sheep can be safely captured, Edwards wants to give the sheep a home at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm.
“We have six sheep here, we’re totally willing to take them here,” said Edwards.
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