1 – Jeremy, the ram
2 – Shayne, a ram lamb (about 6 weeks old)
3 – Oscar, the ram
4 - Desmine with Desminx in the background
5 – Mork, a ram lamb (newly-born)
and yes, his twin ewe lamb was named Mindy
6 – Spatz and Sox (about 4 weeks old)
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ne day, in September 2001, an Arapawa ram lamb was born on our 10 acre farm at Matakana. At that very moment, I was watching CNN news and named the ram Jeremy, in memory of a very brave American, named Jeremy Glick.
Jeremy’s mother was called Blossom and she was not feeling well. He seemed to know and while the other lambs played games, chasing each other and having fun, Jeremy stayed close to his mother. On one occasion, I watched Blossom, laying in the sun, chewing her cud and looking very contented because Jeremy was giving her gentle little kisses around her head. It was a very special moment – I really didn’t think animals behaved in such a caring way.
Jeremy didn’t grow as large as the other ram lambs, because Blossom didn’t have much milk. However, he continued to be a very gentle ram and was very friendly.
In January 2002, our neighbours decided to buy two Arapawa ram lambs and they chose Jeremy and Oscar. In May 2002, Blossom died peacefully in her sleep and she was buried on the farm under a tree. She was an old lady in sheep years and appeared to enjoy having a lamb late in life – she was an excellent mother.
In June 2003 we asked our neighbours if we could borrow Jeremy for mating. The neighbour’s flock included several other males and they had become good friends, but Jeremy and Oscar were especially close.
Jeremy was brought through a gate while his friends were left on the other side. Animals must feel unhappy when they are separated from their normal environment as Jeremy didn’t know what to do. He called and called for his mate, Oscar. It seemed he was very unsettled. After a while he made friends with all the ewes, and became a real “gentle-ram”. His mother would have been proud!
After about three months Jeremy was escorted home again. We watched as he was reunited with Oscar. They rushed around each other, butting heads gently. They stayed close together for quite some time, walking around while touching shoulder-to-shoulder! However we are certain he didn’t really mind visiting – he had lots of attention from us, along with all those lovely ewes.
In November 2003, I could see Desmine (Lily’s adult daughter) preparing a place in the paddock to have her lamb. She was scratching the ground, walking around in circles, sitting down, and standing up again. Finally, she seemed to be comfortable. After a couple of hours, before it got dark, I decided to check on her. When Desmine saw me, she started to baa VERY loudly – she was almost baa-screaming. That is unusual for a sheep! “Oh dear, I hope she is OK”, I thought (I was in my good clothes, but wearing gumboots). “Oh well, if she needs help, it doesn’t matter what I am wearing – I’ll go and see what the problem is”.
When she saw me, Desmine gave me a “please help me” look. Desmine started to baa even louder as I came closer and I could see why. She was trying to give birth to her lamb, and although its head and front hooves could be seen, it seemed to be stuck. I cupped my hands around the lamb’s head and front legs and gave a gentle pull. All the time I talked very quietly and gently to Desmine. Now, we all know Desmine can’t understand words, but she certainly understood my calming tone, because she became much quieter. I never realised that animals could communicate – I now know differently!
After a gentle pull or two, out popped the lamb. I had watched some kind neighbours and the vet when one of the Arapawa sheep needed help and knew to rub the lamb, check its mouth and make sure its mother was happy. The lamb was absolutely fine – a male. All white. And that is very unusual – his Dad, Jeremy, is black with a little bit of white. We thought Desmine’s lamb would be a fluffy, brown Romney, but we think he might end up being a white Arapawa!
Desmine immediately started to clean her new lamb and I waited to make sure everything was okay, then quietly left, clambering up the hill in the dark. Next morning, Desmine was proudly walking around with her new lamb. For the first few days, mother-sheep (ewes) stay close to where their lambs were born and concentrate on giving their babies lots of attention. When the lamb was a week old and was running, jumping and prancing around the paddock he found he not only had his mum, but a Grandbaa as well. Yes, his Grandbaa is Lily, and Grandbaa seemed to be very proud of her grand-lamb-son. She let him clamber all over her, and sometimes he mistook her for his mum and tried to get milk. She was very tolerant and didn’t say “Baah, baah!” or whatever language sheep use to say, “You aren’t my baby”. The other mothers bunt away any lamb that is not their own! Quite often, Desminor (as Great Uncle Norman has named him) stayed with Lily while his mum was grazing. Lily appeared to be lamb-sitting. Do you think Desmine realised how lucky she was to have a mum so willing to look after her offspring? So, it was a wonderful sight to see – Lily, Desmine and Desminor – lying together in the paddock. A family. Bonded. Close. A joy.
