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Emden (dpa / lni) - Lower Saxony's dyke sheep are probably the most hard-working coastal protectors - but when they roll around on the ground, they sometimes don't get back on their own. Shepherds and breeders are now prompting a seemingly bizarre appeal: walkers should “push sheep”. Because it happens again and again that the animals lie helpless on their backs or can no longer move, said the Lower Saxony rural people on Thursday. So the appeal has a serious cause. Anyone who sees an overturned animal in distress should "boldly reach into the fur" and push the animal so that it comes back on its own legs.

“Fortunately, that doesn't happen often. Mostly pregnant sheep or breeds with short legs are affected, ”said the sheep farmer Dieter Voigt from the community of Berne in the Wesermarsch, according to the announcement. When the animals sweat or it is damp, the fur begins to itch. Then they roll on the floor - some don't get back on their feet because of their thick fur or girth. If nobody comes to the rescue, digestive gases collect in the rumen of the sheep and they die after a short time.

The hundreds of herds of dyke sheep are important helpers for the coastal protection of the dyke associations in Lower Saxony.

"On the one hand, they keep the sward short with their deep bite - on the other hand, they trample the ground with their small hooves, which is why we also speak of the golden step," said shepherd Janko Schneider from Großheide in East Frisia.

The treads keep the grass roots more compact and stabilize the earth and the dike as a whole.

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In principle, sheep should therefore be disturbed as little as possible by walkers on the dike - not even when they lie down to sunbathe on the paved dike paths.

Stroking or even annoying is taboo.

Landvolk spokeswoman Sonja Markgraf said whether a sheep is actually in need.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210429-99-403135 / 2

Landvolk press release

Information on dyke sheep