A South African farmer is fielding phone calls from his sheep
after equipping them with cell phones to keep tabs on the flock
amid recent livestock thefts, according to local press
Wednesday
When the sheep call, it is always bad news for farmer Erard Louw
of the Cape Town suburbs, as the phones around their necks are only
set to switch on when the sheep start running, a sign thieves have
cut through the fences.
"As they run it gives me a phone call and says 'sheep one' or
'sheep two' and so on, so at least I know where to start looking
because the farm is 750 hectares (1,850 acres)," Louw told the Cape
Times daily.
Louw attached the phone-like security device to the collars of
four sheep in separate flocks after thieves sneaked in and stole 27
sheep and 13 lambs a couple weeks ago, driving Louw to rack his
brain for ways to protect his animals.
He said there was no use calling nearby police, as they were
stationed too far away and in his experience either lacked an
available car or the vehicle was out of fuel or missing tyres --
also the work of thieves.
According to Louw, the cell phones have already proved their
worth, with one sheep-snatcher caught thanks to the device.
Still, with theft attempts currently at their peak, given long
winter nights and early nightfall, a few sheep-robbers managed to
get away in spite of the device.
"The phone did start ringing that night and I went out," he
said, but added that he was too late.