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Happy Italian Sheep!
Back in February of this year we featured a story about a New Zealander who ended up becoming a sheep farmer in Italy.
This month we pick up that theme again, but with a bit of a twist!
Sheep farming in Italy is so vastly different to what we are used to in New Zealand or Australia. Firstly, the sheep are primarily there for their milk and secondly sheep dogs do not push the sheep along by barking and chasing them. The dogs seem to be a part of the flock and their primary function appears to be to protect them all from threats.
We were driving along a rural road not far from our little house in Abruzzo, Italy, and came across a flock of sheep right across the road. Not an uncommon occurrence in New Zealand, except we are usually accustomed to finding a flock of several hundred sheep. In Italy, the flock size might be 20 – 50. These sheep were off on a mission to find new grass to forage on. They looked happy enough, if a little browner than we are used to. The shepherd, when seeing I had taken a photo from inside the car, came over and we were expecting him to ask for some money perhaps for taking the picture, but no, he wanted a cigarette!
Reading the story below, it all falls into place now, happy sheep, smoking shepherd!! News headlines in Italy recently were "Polizia sequestra piante marijuana, pecore inseguono agenti" (Police Seize Marijuana Plants, Sheep Chase Them!).
The article appeared on the Italian version of Huffington post, but this one is from www.italymagazine.com
- See more at: http://www.italymagazine.com/news/sheep-revolt-when-police-uproot-marijuana-plants-where-flock-grazed#sthash.5YYG6itE.dpuf
This month we pick up that theme again, but with a bit of a twist!
Sheep farming in Italy is so vastly different to what we are used to in New Zealand or Australia. Firstly, the sheep are primarily there for their milk and secondly sheep dogs do not push the sheep along by barking and chasing them. The dogs seem to be a part of the flock and their primary function appears to be to protect them all from threats.
We were driving along a rural road not far from our little house in Abruzzo, Italy, and came across a flock of sheep right across the road. Not an uncommon occurrence in New Zealand, except we are usually accustomed to finding a flock of several hundred sheep. In Italy, the flock size might be 20 – 50. These sheep were off on a mission to find new grass to forage on. They looked happy enough, if a little browner than we are used to. The shepherd, when seeing I had taken a photo from inside the car, came over and we were expecting him to ask for some money perhaps for taking the picture, but no, he wanted a cigarette!Reading the story below, it all falls into place now, happy sheep, smoking shepherd!! News headlines in Italy recently were "Polizia sequestra piante marijuana, pecore inseguono agenti" (Police Seize Marijuana Plants, Sheep Chase Them!).
The article appeared on the Italian version of Huffington post, but this one is from www.italymagazine.com
Italian sheep “rebelled” when police swooped on a patch of land where the flock grazed on more than just green grass: the land was also used to cultivate marijuana plants.
The sheep’s owner had set up an illegal marijuana plantation on his land in Coppito, L’Aquila. The sheep lived and grazed where he grew his marijuana plants, and became accustomed to munching on them.
The Italian media reports that when police from the L’Aquila drug squad descended on the sheep-owner’s land and started to remove the marijuana plants, the sheep became agitated. They followed the police officers carrying the large plants away and attempted to eat them – down to the last leaf.
Later, the police released photographs and a video of the operation. The police expressed their surprise that the sheep had become nervous and agitated by the removal of the marijuana plants.
- See more at: http://www.italymagazine.com/news/sheep-revolt-when-police-uproot-marijuana-plants-where-flock-grazed#sthash.5YYG6itE.dpuf
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