Search for rare sheep roaming wild near two towns

A search is underway for rare sheep believed to have been dumped and roaming wild between two towns.

Residents spotted the animals - which are thought to be Soay sheep originating from the remote St Kilda islands north of Scotland - roaming near Tidworth and Ludgershall in Wiltshire.

Fourteen have already been caught over the past several weeks, but Heron's Farm Animal Rescue in Devizes said there could be up to six still on the loose.

Jess Scull, from the RSPCA Wiltshire Mid branch, said it was important not to approach the sheep, adding: "They are strong, they are powerful. The best thing you can do is reach out to us."

"It's really important [that] if you see them, don't chase them," she added. "They are wild at the moment [and] are trying to look after themselves," explained Scull.

Ariane Heron, who runs Heron's Farm, is looking after some of sheep already located and said they appear "very nervous and stressed" and to have previously had "very limited human contact".

The rescue would usually rehome animals, but Heron thinks it will be hard to find the right homes as the sheep need "very tall and secure fencing" due to being able to jump several feet high.

Unusually, none of the sheep have tags to identify them. In the UK, it is a legal requirement to have a way of identifying livestock.

The sheep have become very scattered and more difficult to find as more of them are captured, but the rescue and local RSPCA volunteers have still been searching for them and logging reported sightings.

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