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This week’s Friday favourite: volunteering ewe-phoria
Just when you think you’ve got a handle on the sheer diversity of volunteering opportunities available out there – someone pulls it out of the bag. Today, it’s the turn of Doncaster Council, who in partnership with Natural England, are calling for volunteer shepherds to join their flock. Yep, that’s right – volunteers are being invited to shepherd a flock of Hebridean sheep grazing on Hatfield Moors, near Doncaster.
Volunteers are needed to help staff from Natural England take part in regular health checks on the sheep, including checking for lameness and the general health of the sheep and to keep track of the herd. The animals act as natural gardeners, keeping the National Park’s scrub land under control.
It’s all part of the new Muck In4Life campaign, which is aimed at encouraging more people to adopt a healthier lifestyle while helping charities and voluntary organisations to look after the natural environment.
The campaign, launched by Defra, hopes to get more families and individuals out of the house and involved in conservation work – everything from bat spying to tree planting and clearing beach litter to pond de-sludging.
Meanwhile, volunteers from most guinea pig rescue groups in America are running education programmes in a bid to escape the “101 Dalmations” effect. They’re worried that Disney’s new G-Force film, which stars guinea pigs, will spark an increase in abandoned “film pets”, putting extra strain on animal shelters, which are already stretched due to the recession. The G-Force website advises viewers to be responsible and research any pet “to make sure that it is suitable for your particular situation” and consider adopting from a shelter.
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