A flock of sheep that fell into a freezing river in Hertfordshire has been rescued but seven out of 16 ewes have since died.
Animal rescuers, consisting of the RSPCA, Highways England and fire crews, staged a three and a half hour rescue mission.
Rescuers were alerted to the plight of the flock after a lorry driver spotted them trapped in a river as he travelled along the M1 near Watford, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday (12 December).
However, seven of the ewes had already perished in the cold, deep water but rescuers managed to pull nine out of the river alive.
“It was so upsetting that some of the sheep had died but I’m so pleased we were able to save nine lives,” the RSPCA's animal collection officer (ACO) Kate Wright said.
“Thank goodness the lorry driver spotted these stricken sheep and called us for help or they all would have died. The sheep all had sodden fleeces so were extremely heavy to pull out of the river, many of them were struggling to keep their heads above the water.
“The sheep had access to the river for their water source but there were a lot of overgrown reeds at the edge so we believe they may have mistaken it for riverbank and fallen in.”
Some of the sheep made fairly quick recoveries and soon returned to grazing in the field.
But some were weak and exhausted, and were kept wrapped in blankets for longer.
Farmers and livestock keepers have since been urged to check on their animals regularly.
Defra’s codes of practice for livestock say they should be checked at least once a day.
