A Forgotten Sheep Roamed Alone For Two Years, But Now She’s Made Two Adorable Little Friends

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic sheep tale than this one — trust us! Shaun the Sheep has nothing on Lily. At the core of this story lies a head-scratching mystery, which left local residents baffled for several years. Intriguing stuff, wouldn’t you agree? So, without further ado, let’s dive into it.

Wales is home to many picturesque communities. For our money, though, Gower is up there with the best of them. From the beautiful beaches to the gorgeous green landscape, it’s a true feast for the eyes. But for the longest time, something else continued to stand out amongst all that wonderful scenery.

Now, there’s nothing unusual about spotting the odd sheep or two grazing the countryside. In fact, it’d be pretty weird if there weren’t any around at all. In this instance, though, Lily’s presence in Gower was indeed somewhat strange. Why? To put it simply, she was completely alone out there.

If Lily had only been spotted once or twice by herself, it probably wouldn’t have raised too many red flags. After all, maybe she’d just wandered away from her flock for a brief spell? But here’s the thing — locals were catching sight of the lone sheep for years. And there weren’t any others nearby.

Could Lily have been abandoned in the Gower countryside? It’s an unfortunate fate that a few sheep face, with a somewhat similar story hitting the headlines in July 2019. The incident in question took place in North Yorkshire, England, and it left the local authorities in a state of pure confusion.

It all started when the owner of a field spotted something quite bizarre. Yep, over 30 sheep had somehow made their way onto the person’s land. We can only imagine their surprise! And they weren’t just a regular breed, either. These animals were classified as Hebridean sheep, which aren’t too common.

Anyway, The Northern Echo reported that the sheep weren’t in the best shape at the time. And there weren’t any telling signs as to where they came from, with the only ear tag available leading to a dead-end. It must’ve been incredibly frustrating for all concerned, as well as a little sad.

Why did this happen? Well, to shed a bit more light on the situation, a member of the authorities spoke to The Northern Echo in July 2019. His name is Matthew Cockerill. He plied his trade as a community support officer for the Rural Task Force branch of the North Yorkshire Police.

Cockerill said, “This is definitely one of the more unusual situations I’ve experienced in day-to-day policing. And [it’s] very sad that a group of animals would be abandoned like this with no consideration for their safety and welfare. We don’t know what circumstances could’ve led to the sheep being left in this way.”

Cockerill continued, “[We don’t know] whether they’ve been stolen and dumped or whether their owner was no longer able to look after them. But we hope that we can find whoever is responsible and ensure the flock has a secure home for the future.” For the sheeps’ sake, you can’t help but echo that final sentiment.

Compared to Lily’s story, though, the Hebridean sheep mystery did have a small clue for people to work with. You see, some wheel marks had been left behind on the land in North Yorkshire. Did they belong to the animals’ original owner? It was something to go on at least.

Yet in Lily’s case, there were no such signs as to how she reached the beautiful Gower countryside. According to the website WalesOnline, the lonely sheep was always spotted mulling around the same area, her woolly coat becoming more unkempt with each sighting. Where did this poor thing come from?

Well, a resident of Gower took some initiative and attempted to solve the mystery. The lady in question sought out the farmers living in the area, asking if Lily belonged to them. Incredibly, she covered several miles in her search and left no stone unturned. That’s a hell of an effort, right?

Despite all that, though, the farmers that the lady spoke to didn’t claim Lily as one of their own. To say that was strange would be an understatement — if she wasn’t a local sheep, where was her original home? And how did she even get to Gower? Talk about a bizarre conundrum.

So, what happened next? Thankfully, the lady wasn’t at all disheartened by the response of the farmers. Instead, she decided to reach out to someone else who could maybe help her with Lily. She contacted Woodfield Animal Sanctuary, which operates out of Gower and is run by a woman named Robbie Bartington.

Since Robbie first established the sanctuary in Gower, WalesOnline reports that she and her colleagues have saved roughly 100 different animals every 12 months. That number includes cows, horses, dogs, and cats. Sheep have been brought in, too, so they seemed like the perfect people to help the bedraggled Lily.

Ultimately, the sanctuary’s goal is to find new homes and families for each animal that comes in. Mind you, that isn’t as simple as it might sound. But don’t worry — if there aren’t any takers, Robbie and company will just make them permanent residents of the place. How cool of them!

So, after the sanctuary was contacted by the lady, Robbie joined her colleagues in seeking out Lily. Once they spotted her, though, the group realized that the sheep was in really bad shape. She was incredibly weak, and could barely keep her footing as a result of how heavy her woolly coat was.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Given how lengthy the wool was at the time, WalesOnline reported that Lily’s coat had become horribly tangled. She must’ve felt so uncomfortable during those lonely days in the Gower countryside. Who knows how long she’d been like that prior to the sanctuary’s intervention?

As for Lily’s health, the sanctuary’s Facebook page revealed that she was suffering with arthritis, too. But regardless of how bleak things might’ve appeared for her, Robbie and company were desperate to offer this poor sheep a change of scenery. She definitely needed it after all that time alone outside.

Going into more detail about what transpired next, Robbie spoke to WalesOnline in September 2021. She said, “We brought [Lily] straight home and she was fed and watered, and then given a long-acting sheep painkiller. Although very nervous of humans, she quickly built up her confidence and by the evening she was able to lift her head and look at me.”

That sounds positive, wouldn’t you agree? Given Lily’s condition when the sanctuary found her, it could’ve gone a lot worse. Robbie certainly recognized that, as she shared some concerns with WalesOnline. For instance, the proprietor admitted that she was hesitant to drop in on the sheep during that first night.

Why’s that? Simple really. Lily had experienced a whirlwind few hours. Earlier that day, the sheep had been lifted across the countryside until she reached the back of a vehicle to take her to Robbie’s place. It’s fair to say that her world had pretty much been turned upside down.

And that’s not always a good thing when it comes to sheep. You see, they’re not necessarily as mentally or physically strong as other animals. Due to that, unexpected surprises have been known to prompt heart attacks in them. Yikes. So in Robbie’s mind, her sudden presence in Lily’s pen might’ve led to tragedy.

Thankfully, though, as Robbie mentioned to WalesOnline earlier, that didn’t happen. Instead, Lily’s first few days at Woodfield Animal Sanctuary proved to be fascinating viewing for all concerned. She really did transform in more ways than one, starting with her horribly-tangled wool coat. The team couldn’t leave it as it was.

So, Robbie and her colleagues reached out to a nearby veterinarian named Alex. He got to work on Lily’s thick mound of wool, carefully trimming it away. By the time he was done, there was enough on the ground to knit a few winter jumpers! As for the sheep herself, she looked so much better than before.

Yep, for the first time in a long while, Lily was now rocking a beautiful short coat for all to see. It must’ve felt amazing for her, with photos highlighting how comfortable she appeared following the trim. You don’t need to be Dr. Dolittle to interpret the relief in her face here!

Mind you, the biggest surprise is still to come. As Robbie previously noted during her chat with WalesOnline, she seemed to form a connection with Lily on that first night in the stables. From there, their relationship continued to develop, which led to a wonderfully wholesome moment at the sanctuary.

Robbie told the website, “[Lily] called out to me, and some of my other pet sheep heard her, and called back. The look on her face was something I’ll never forget. She hadn’t heard or seen any sheep or cows for years. I brought our two pet lambs who live in the garden in to see her and she couldn’t believe her eyes.”

The two lambs are named Baby Gee and Bertie, and much like their owner they quickly became attached to Lily. The feeling appeared to be mutual as well. Robbie added, “From that moment, she’s been with them all the time.” That’s not an exaggeration, either, as we’re about to find out.

As per a post on Woodfield Animal Sanctuary’s Facebook page, Baby Gee and Bertie both joined Lily in her new bed once she was settled. Perhaps they saw her as something of a mother figure? Whatever the answer may be, one thing’s for sure: this was such a cute development!

Sticking with social media for now, Lily’s story generated quite a response on Facebook, with users flocking to the sanctuary’s post. At the time of writing, it’s earned over 850 likes and close to 200 shares. On top of that, it’s also generated plenty of kind-hearted comments from people as well.

One user wrote, “Aww bless her. Why would [anyone] just leave her to suffer in pain and [be] lonely? She deserves so much better. You can see in her eyes since getting rid of that monstrosity [of a coat] how much happier she looks now!” Another person concurred with that in a different comment.

“Oh bless her heart,” the individual said. “It’s unbelievable and so sad that she’s spent most of her life alone and neglected. [I’m] so pleased she’s with you and that from now on she will be loved, cared for, and never alone again. Thank you for giving her the life she deserves.”

Does anyone else need a tissue after reading that? Or is it just us? Similar comments continued to flood in on the Facebook post, as users showered the sanctuary in praise. But among all those messages, one more stood out for a couple of reasons. Yes, someone wanted to raise an important point about Lily’s previous plight.

The social media user wrote, “Lily’s life looked hopeless. Now she has comfort and companionship and will be cared for to live out the life she’s been denied. Once again, Woodfield Animal Sanctuary has come to the rescue but it shouldn’t have been necessary. If you choose to have an animal, then you have a responsibility to look after it.”

Hard to argue with that last point, right? Anyway, the buzz from Lily’s story wasn’t just restricted to Facebook. For example, when WalesOnline published its article on her incredible journey, users on the news website posted some nice comments as well. Isn’t it great what a heart-warming tale can do?

As for Robbie, she shared a few final thoughts about her woolly pal with WalesOnline in September 2021. The sanctuary’s founder lavished Lily with love and praise, noting that she’s become very affectionate towards people now. Who could have seen that coming when the ailing sheep was first brought in?

Robbie concluded, “[Lily] is an absolute treasure. In fact, I’ve been out with her tonight. She has a warm shelter, so I was cuddling her. She’s the most extraordinary sheep, very clever. She knows exactly what’s going on, and that we’re trying everything we can to give her a better quality of life. Whatever Lily needs she will have.”