The fourth lost sheep survivor of a truck rollover near Daylesford eight years ago has been located and reunited with its mates at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary.
Sanctuary founder Pam Ahern said her team was alerted earlier this year to four wandering sheep in the Wombat State Forest in need of care.
“Legend has it these woolly wonders were the sole survivors of a truck rollover some eight years ago,” she shared to social media.
“Fleeing into the nearby bush, the sheep had stoically survived, bushranger-like, by their wits and smarts, for many a year.
“And despite eluding many attempts at capture over the years, it was only a matter of time before these wild colonial sheep would have succumbed to the burden that was their fleece.”
Setting out on a rescue attempt, the Edgar’s Mission team had its first sighting of the sheep on April 25 but the task proved a challenge. It wasn’t until October that they were able to successfully carry out their rescue plan.
One of the sheep was found to have died but the team managed to bring two back to the sanctuary for care who they named Ned Kelly and Harry Power. But the fourth sheep, who they had named Mad Dan Morgan, was still roaming the forest.
“Returning repeatedly to the area, the sightings of him were few and fleeting,” Pam said.
Returning to the area most frequented by the sheep, the rescue team laid out the fleece of Harry Power, hoping that Mad Dan Morgan would reconnect with its familiarity. And he did.
Last Monday Mad Dan Morgan was reunited with his two forest buddies at the Lancefield sanctuary.
“Like all ripping yarns, there is a moral to this story: to remember to never, ever, not ever, give up, because when you turn ‘impossible’ to ‘I’m possible’, anything can happen!” Pam said.
“This rescue would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of so many people. You all know who you are, and we cannot thank you enough for never giving up.”
