Wandering ram survives 40ft fall into water-filled quarry
A RUNAWAY ram was saved from a watery end on Friday afternoon after it fell into a water-filled quarry at Guernsey Sea Farms in the Vale.
Company director Mark Dravers said he was in his office at about 4pm when he spotted the errant sheep about halfway down the cliff face opposite.
He contacted the Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service and station officer Gary Van Der Linden went along to investigate.
On arrival Mr Van Der Linden suggested calling the cliff rescue team.
But the ram was not about to stand around until help arrived.
‘In the end it did a back flip and fell about 40ft into the water,’ said Mr Dravers.
The sheep had tried to climb up but lost its footing, he said. ‘It was a pretty impressive fall.’
The water in the quarry is about 20ft deep and the ram could have drowned but fortunately, Mr Dravers had anticipated what might happen and a boat was standing by.
He and Mr Van Der Linden were able to get to the animal in time.
‘It was obviously frightened but we got to it quickly,’ he said.
‘We had difficulty getting it out because it was so heavy. It was a big ram.’
The pair managed to tow it to a pontoon where it was winched to safety.
Mr Dravers knows Paul Arnold, the animal’s owner, and he arrived with a trailer to collect it soon afterwards.
Mr Arnold said he had no idea what might have caused the ram to abscond.
‘He’s never done it before,’ he said. ‘I checked on him the evening before and he was fine.’
To get out the animal had had to force its way through a blackthorn hedge: ‘He’d been in the field breeding with three ewes and he had a breeding harness on, which was lucky because it helped them pull him out.
‘I think I owe him [Mr Dravers] a joint of lamb.’
He planned to install an electric fence to prevent the ram, now christened Lucky, from making any further escapes.
