Moment man risks his life to rescue a sheep after it became stranded on rocks at the bottom of a cliff surrounded by rising seawater
- Chris Oxlade-Arnott, 51, scaled down the steep rockface to rescue the sheep
- He carried the 50kg animal over his shoulders during a 30 minute rescue
This is the moment a man risked his own safety to save the life of a sheep after it became stranded on rocks at the bottom of a cliff surrounded by rising seawater.
Chris Oxlade-Arnott, 51, and his wife Jilly, 55, were enjoying a scenic coastal walk when they came across the animal stuck near a beach on Monday, August 7.
Jilly had been snapping holiday photos of the picturesque coastline in Woolacombe, Devon, when she spotted the sheep in one of her pictures.
With the tide coming in, the couple decided they could not leave the woolly creature behind to die and Chris began climbing down the steep rockface.
Incredible photos show the art gallery owner clambering across the jagged rocks to reach it as it balanced precariously next to the crashing waves.
Jilly had been snapping holiday photos of the picturesque Devonshire coastline near Woolacombe Beach on Monday when she spotted the young sheep in her image
The couple decided they could not leave the sheep behind and Chris began climbing down the steep rockface
Chris had to reassure it as the animal began panicking towards the water
The incredible moment Chris hoisted the sheep on his shoulders and carried it to safety
He then managed to haul it over his shoulder and carried it back up the rocks to safety on higher ground following a 30 minute rescue mission.
The pair, of Pershore, Worcestershire, believe it had wandered onto the sheer rocks in search of food before getting spooked by the rough sea.
Chris said: ‘She was getting hit by the waves, was wet through, clearly exhausted from clinging on a small ledge and looked rather pleased to see me.
‘The rocks were jagged and very pointed, with steep edges and limited foot holds, which were really nasty especially when wet.
‘So, establishing a suitable route out to her was quite tricky, let alone finding a way back carrying a sheep.
‘When we first spotted her we thought that she wasn’t going to get out of this by herself, in fact it’s likely to get worse and end in tears.
‘I don’t like to see animals in pain or distress especially if I can help.
‘It didn’t look like anyone else was going assist or had even spotted her, nor was it something I would concern the coastguard with at that stage.
‘I used to rock climb and I’m quite sure footed so thought the best choice of action was for me to try a rescue.
‘My wife, Jilly stayed on the cliff top to guide me and call for help if things went badly, but luck was on our side and the sheep was too exhausted to make a fuss.’
Artist Jilly, and gallery owner Chris
Chris received a round of applause from a passing family when he brought the sheep to safety
Artist Jilly, who runs The Gallery in Pershore with her husband, added: ‘We were down for a weekend camping in our campervan near Woolacombe.
‘We were walking the coast path doing a circular route. There’s sheep all over the area and there’s lots of them on the cliff edge. But this one had gone over.
‘I was taking scenic photos and spotted this sheep stranded on this rock. It was glaring up at us like it was saying ‘help’.
‘It had obviously been there a while but it was stuck. It was shaking so it was clearly saturated. It was trying to get away from the water.
‘If we left it, it would die. We couldn’t walk away. We couldn’t live with the what if.
‘I stood on the rocks giving Chris some guidance to where it was. He climbed down across the rocks and assessed how to get to the animal.
‘Initially it was panicking and moving towards the water so Chris grabbed it and reassured it.
‘In the end he put it around his neck, held onto its front legs with one hand, then clambered up the rocks with the other.
‘It wasn’t a full grown sheep, but it was a fair size. It was around 50kg or so.’
After being rescued, the sheep laid down for several minutes before returning to graze
Jilly said once the animal had been brought back up to safety to rounds of applause from onlookers it lay down for several minutes before it started grazing.
She added: ‘It laid down initially but we’d helped friends run a farm so we knew not to turn it upside down as they can have a heart attack.
‘We rubbed it’s head and we got it upright.
‘She made a few steps then just ate. She must have been starving. A family gave Chris a round of applause.
‘They tend to graze right near the edge. They’re a bit stupid really. If they see a nice bit of grass they’ll go and get it.
‘It’s do you or don’t you, and whether you take the risk. But we decided we just couldn’t leave it there to die.’
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